Coronavirus finally reaches Antarctica as 36 test positive at Chilean base – By Tim Baker (Sky News) / Dec 22 2020
Most of those infected are believed to be from the military, with some maintenance workers also diagnosed.
Coronavirus has now reached the last continent on Earth – with the first cases identified in Antarctica.
The Chilean army announced that 36 people linked with the General Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme base on the planet’s southern pole had tested positive for COVID-19.
The base is in the far western reaches of Antarctica, close to the southern tip of South America.
The potential effects on the wildlife from the coronavirus are ‘largely unknown’
Of the 36 infected, 26 are reported to be members of the Chilean military, while the others are believed to be maintenance workers.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has said “the risks and implications of virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife are largely unknown”.
