Micronesia has likely become the final nation in the world with a population of more than 100,000 to experience an outbreak of COVID-19.
Last year, Micronesia became one of the few countries to impose a broad mandate requiring all eligible citizens get vaccinated against the coronavirus. It threatened to withhold federal funds from any individuals or business owners who didn't follow the rules, and as a result has had high vaccination rates.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, the omicron variant has spread the coronavirus to several small nations for the first time this year, including Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa and Nauru. Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands have so far managed to avoid any community outbreaks. The Marshall Islands plans to end its border quarantine requirements from Oct. 1.