Despite very strict health rules, two thirds of people currently present at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station in Antarctica have been infected with the coronavirus, reported Le Soir Mag, which has obtained confirmation from the Belgian Polar Secretariat.
A positive case was detected on December 14 among those who arrived seven days earlier. This traveler was immediately placed in isolation, but tests carried out revealed that two others had also contracted the virus. The three people were evacuated on December 23. But since then the virus has been circulating.
Currently, 25 people are present in the station and 5 are on an expedition. Two thirds have been infected but no severe symptoms have yet been declared. Two emergency physicians are on site and the station has all the necessary equipment for treatment and PCR tests.
Everyone present received two doses of vaccine, one person even benefited from the booster, said Alain Hubert, executive operator of the station and responsible for security measures.
The Strategic Council of the Polar Secretariat decided on Monday to keep the staff on site but prohibited any new entry into the station before the disappearance of the cluster and, at the very least until January 12, the expected arrival date of two new expeditions. . The research season will also be shortened. According to a virologist consulted by the Polar Secretariat, the probability is high that the infection at the station is due to the Omicron variant, given that this one represents 99% of cases in South Africa, which is precisely the country of last stopover before Antarctica.