[1] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
[3][4] The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 globally has been much lower than the SARS outbreak between 2002 and 2004,[5][6] but the transmission rates have been substantially greater, with a consequently more significant total death toll.
[8] On 22 March, Vanuatu's health authorities confirmed that tests for a resort worker with a suspected case of coronavirus had returned negative.
[10] On 11 November, Vanuatu confirmed its first asymptomatic case, belonging to a man who had traveled to the islands from the United States via Sydney and Auckland.
By 8 August, 1,721 people in Vanuatu were considered fully vaccinated, making up 0.6% of the country's total population.