inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf

inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf
get healthing in your inbox with the morning checkup and weekender newsletter!
home / 世界杯决赛2022

remote antarctic research station hit by covid

the outbreak started dec. 14 and has affected 16 of 25 ...

by liz braun

jan 3 2022
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation

omicron has managed to find its way to a   remote research station in antarctica.

the bbc reports that a belgian scientific research station in antarctica is dealing with an outbreak of covid-19, despite workers being fully vaccinated and based in one of the world’s remotest regions.

the outbreak started dec. 14 and has affected 16 of 25 staffers at the princess elisabeth polar station.
fortunately, the situation is not dire. a project manager for the international polar foundation told the bbc that the situation was not dramatic — the 16 with the virus have all had mild symptoms.
“while it has been an inconvenience to have to quarantine certain members of the staff who caught the virus, it hasn’t significantly affected our work at the station overall,” said joseph cheek.
cheek also said all residents of the station were given the chance to leave on a flight scheduled for jan. 12, but, “they all expressed their wish to stay and continue their work.”
no new arrivals will be permitted to access the polar station until that jan. 12 date.

le soir first reported that the initial covid case was detected last month among those who had arrived a week earlier from a stop-over in south africa. three people were eventually found to be covid positive, and all three were evacuated dec. 23. the virus spread among staff regardless.

powered by
canadian centre for caregiving excellence

advertisement

all involved are fully vaccinated. anyone leaving belgium for the polar station takes a pcr two hours before leaving, en route to a stopover in south africa.
another pcr test is given after five days in cape town — which is halfway through a mandatory 10-day quarantine in that city. then another pcr is given before leaving cape town for antarctica.
yet another pcr test is given five days after arrival. and still, omicron found its way to the isolated station.

according to le soir , explorer alain hubert, executive operator of the station and the man responsible for security measures, reports that all polar stations open in antarctica are currently affected by the covid pandemic.

 
powered by
obesity matters

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.