A group of islands in the Pacific Ocean that is one of the few regions on Earth free from Covid-19 could become one of the first societies vaccinated against the virus. The Republic of Palau, an archipelago residence to about 18,000 people, got its first cargo of the vaccine generated by US pharmaceutical firm Moderna on January 2, 2021. Shots began the following day, Palau’s Ministry of Health stated on Twitter. The first consignment has 2,800 doses of the vaccine. The medical staff will administer the vaccine into two shots, 28 days apart.

As coronavirus cases started to grow, Palau was among the first to carry out more rigid border restrictions. The Republic of Palau decided to lock the country’s borders totally by March, and it started checking citizens for the virus by April. These strict procedures were the answer to keeping Covid-19 out, Palau’s ambassador to the UN announced in May.