Countries where the deadly coronavirus bug has not spread and why

There are currently only 22 countries in the world which are yet to record a single case of deadly coronavirus within their borders – which could be hugely important in fighting the next global outbreak of a disease.

There have so far been more than 550,000 cases worldwide, and over 25,000 people have died from the highly contagious illness.

Research by Daily Star Online reveals all of the countries with no cases recorded are in Africa, Asia or Oceania.

Many of the countries made the decision to close their borders before they recorded their first case of the deadly disease – a decision which may have proven to be a lifesaver.

Yemen, with a population of roughly 29 million, is the largest country by population size still to record any cases of the deadly Covid-19 virus, although the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stepped up preparations for when it does.

“We need to ensure that we are prepared locally. Yemen currently has no cases of Covid-19, but we are scaling up preparedness and response efforts in the event a case is confirmed,” a World Health Organisation representative told Arab News.

The second-largest country yet to record any cases is North Korea, with a population of 25million, although the country has quarantined 10,000 people and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly fled Pyongyang to avoid getting infected.

WHO has said it suspects there are cases in both countries.

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Despite the African nation of Malawi, with a population of 19 million, not recording any cases of coronavirus yet, the country’s president Peter Mutharika declared coronavirus a national disaster as a measure to prevent cases of the virus in the country on Tuesday.

All schools, colleges, both private and public universities have been closed since Monday March 23.

The country’s government is restricting public gatherings to less than 100 people.

Burundi (population 11.9million) suspended all flights in and out of the country on Saturday March 21 in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus into the country.

South Sudan’s government closed all airports and land crossings over fears about the spread of coronavirus on Monday March 23.

The country, which has a population of 11.2 million, has also instructed law enforcement agencies to take measures to disperse illegal gatherings of groups of people.

Live updates on COVID-19 cases near you

England: 4,792

• London: 2,433
• Midlands: 808
• South East: 590
• North West: 496
• North East and Yorkshire: 446
• East of England: 452
• South West: 278

Scotland: 499

Wales: 418

Northern Ireland: 149

Total list of countries without coronavirus

Africa

Malawi, Burundi, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Lesotho, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe

Asia

Yemen, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

Oceania

Soloman Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Nauru

* There are suspected cases in Yemen, North Korea and Tonga

• World Health Organisation
• Coronavirus

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