Cook Islands confirms first coronavirus case

One of the last remaining countries without COVID-19 - the small Pacific nation of Cook Islands - has recorded its first case of the virus, Report informs, citing the Guardian.

Prime minister Mark Brown said the first case arrived on an international flight from New Zealand on February 10.

“While she was asymptomatic, she returned a positive result in just a few hours later. The case been issued an Isolation Order. The case is travelling with two others, and they will all remain in isolation until they no longer test positive for COVID-19,” Brown said on Monday.

The prime minister warned on the weekend there could be “silent transmission” in the country after another traveller tested positive for COVID-19 upon their return to New Zealand, having travelled through the Cook Islands from January 31 to February 8.

Hundreds of people came forward for testing at drive-through sites on Tuesday in an effort to trace any possible community transmission. Te Marae Ora, the Cook Islands Ministry of Health, confirmed that 31 potential close contacts had tested negative.

The Cook Islands – a popular holiday destination with a population of about 18,000 people – has kicked into full precautionary measures which include grounding outer island flights to contain any possible transmission in Rarotonga, the main island.