How the coronavirus reached Antarctica, Covid-19’s final frontier

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, upgrading it from a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Since, the coronavirus has infected more than 85 million people across six continents, killing more than 1.8 million. But it was only in December that the virus finally spread to all corners of the planet.

On December 21, the Chilean Army reported that ten civilians and 26 military officials working at the country’s Bernardo O’Higgins base in Antarctica had tested positive for Covid-19, making them the first official cases on the frozen continent.

According to the report, the infections were confirmed days after three crew members on a ship carrying supplies to the Chilean research station had tested positive. Despite presenting symptoms, the trio set sail from the Talcahuano naval base, south of Chile’s central zone, on December 15.

Chilean Navy...