> It was not eliminated in any country, at any time during the pandemic, the claim is entirely false.
You're just wrong in this claim. For example, New Zealand completely eliminated the virus in early 2020 and went for over 100 days with zero local cases, from 10 May until 11 August 2020. That's when a new cluster was discovered - genetic sequencing of the viral genome showed that it was imported from abroad.[0]
I suspect that the mistake you're making is that you're looking at aggregated case numbers, which include cases caught inside border quarantine (you can see an example in this report: [1]), and confusing them with local cases (compare with this report: [2]).
You're just wrong in this claim. For example, New Zealand completely eliminated the virus in early 2020 and went for over 100 days with zero local cases, from 10 May until 11 August 2020. That's when a new cluster was discovered - genetic sequencing of the viral genome showed that it was imported from abroad.[0]
I suspect that the mistake you're making is that you're looking at aggregated case numbers, which include cases caught inside border quarantine (you can see an example in this report: [1]), and confusing them with local cases (compare with this report: [2]).
0. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9890878/
1. https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/1-new-c...
2. https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/4-cases...