The coronavirus has also reached Antarctica – Earth & Poles



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The coronavirus has also reached Antarctica, the only continent that has been saved so far. In fact, yesterday an outbreak of SarsCov2 was confirmed in the Chilean research station Bernardo O’Higgins (located in the western part of the continent) with 36 infected, who have already been transferred to the city of Punta Arenas to begin isolation. This was reported by some Chilean media, such as the newspaper La Tercera and the radio site Bio Bio Chile.

The warning of a possible arrival of the coronavirus had already been triggered last week, after some officials, who later tested positive, had gone to the base to carry out work. “Of the 102 tests conducted at the Villa Las Estrellas research station and analyzed in Punta Arenas, one positive person was found to be SarsCov2 and eight were traced as close contacts.

They will all be transferred to Punta Arenas to be quarantined, ”said Eduardo Castillo, health secretary for the Magallanes region. At the O’Higgins base (one of the 13 Chilean structures in Antarctica), of the 60 swabs carried out during the weekend, 36 tested positive, among civilians and soldiers, now isolated in the health residences of Punta Arenas.

According to Hanne Nielsen, a researcher at the University of Tasmania, involved in a project that examines the impact of the stop of the tourist season in Antarctica, “the presence of the virus on this continent can have many implications in many areas, from planning to the logistics of activities. human “.

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