Of course, Corona does not stop at Antarctica either. 16 of the 25 employees tested positive at a research station.
London – Despite strict precautionary measures, there has been reports of a corona outbreak at a research station in Antarctica that has affected two-thirds of the team.
Since December 14th, 16 of the 25 employees at the “Princess Elisabeth Antarctica” research station have tested positive, as reported by the BBC, citing the International Polar Foundation. The Belgian magazine “Soir mag” had previously reported that three people who initially tested positive had been flown out, but the virus had spread further. The course of the disease has so far all been mild.
The situation was “not dramatic,” quoted the BBC as quoting project manager Joseph Cheek from the Brussels-based research foundation. “While the isolation was uncomfortable for some of the team that caught the virus, it generally didn’t interfere with our work at the station significantly,” said Cheek. All employees had been offered to be flown out on January 12, but no one accepted. The arrival of new employees has meanwhile been suspended.
How the virus got to the research station was initially unclear. All employees were vaccinated at least twice and had undergone a ten-day quarantine and several PCR tests before their stay, reported “Soir mag”. It is therefore assumed that it is the Omikron variant, as the employees had made a stopover in South Africa before their assignment. dpa
