COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in March 2020. The confirmed infection rate was 1 case per 280 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in the world, but the archipelago also tested at a very high frequency, with the number of tests equaling c. 34 per cent of the population (one of the highest in the world, per capita).^[9] As of 28 February 2022, there have been 34648 confirmed cases. Among these, 31 persons have died with COVID-19.^[6]

From 1 March 2022 there are no COVID-19 restrictions in the Faroe Islands and no more mass testing.^[10]

On 7 February 2022, new daily record was set with 1265 positive cases.^[11]

Around 778,000 people were tested for COVID-19 in the Faroe Islands from March 2020 until 28 February 2022.^[6][12] The number of tests is amounting to 14 times the country's population, which as of 1 September 2021, had reached 53,498 according to Statistics Faroe Islands (Hagstova Føroya).^[13]

There have been six waves of COVID-19 cases in the Faroe Islands, the biggest one in the last months of 2021 and the first months of 2022. The first was in March–April and the second in July–August and the third was from September until October, the fourth was from early December to mid January 2021, the fifth was from late May to mid August 2021. The sixth wave started in September 2021. The vast majority of the confirmed cases have been asymptomatic or mild; a few were admitted to hospital,^[14] and two persons have died.^[6] Among the initial 187 cases, the last person recovered on 8 May.^[6][15]

After almost two months with no known cases, one was confirmed on 4 July 2020 when a person tested positive at the entry into the territory,^[16] and on 19 July, a family of three were tested positive at their entry.^[17] There were several cases in the beginning of August 2020. These cases were all related to the same person and spread on the national holiday ólavsøka, which was celebrated on 28 and 29 July, and during the days after, mainly at private parties, according to the Chief Medical Officer. With massive testing and isolating the persons who tested positive and their close contacts the authorities managed to stop the spreading of the virus. In July and August 2020 there were many foreign sailors who tested positive for COVID-19 when their ship was embarked at a Faroese port.

From 20 August until 11 September 2020 there were no inland case of COVID-19.^[18][19][20] In September there was a new wave of cases which started on 2 September and continued through the month. All days of September except for 21 September which had ten cases, had between 0 and 5 cases. Half of the days of October had 0 cases. Only two days of October had more than 1 cases. From 21 October 2020 to 6 November there was no inland case of COVID-19 .^[6] On 7 November two persons tested positive.^[21] One of them had recently arrived from abroad, the test after arrival was negative, but the test on the 6th day was positive. This person had stayed at home during the six days, and his or hers live-in partner was also tested positive said Bjarni á Steig, health consultant for the Faroese Ministry of Health, at the press conference in Tórshavn on 9 November 2020.^[22] There was no new case for six days, from 8 to 13 November 2020. On 14 November there was one new case, a person who had travelled from abroad tested positive. All days of November had between 0 and 2 cases. In the first 18 days of December 2020 there were between 0 and 5 daily cases.^[6] On 19 December there were 7 new cases including two cases on the National Hospital (Landssjúkrahúsið). On 28 December there were 19 new cases. On 30 December 2020 the first 120 Faroese persons were vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNtech.^[23] The first vaccines were given to staff from the three hospitals. On 5 January 2021 the first COVID-19 death took place in the Faroe Islands on the National Hospital in Tórshavn.

As of 17 February 2022 93.1% of the population (12+ years old) have been vaccinated one time with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 91.2% (12+ years old) have been vaccinated two times, 52.7% of the population (12+ years old) have been vaccinated three times with the same vaccine.^[6]