Indian Delta Covid variant detected in the Faroes

The highly contagious Indian Delta Covid-19 variant was first registered in the Faroes on Thursday.

The new variant was detected through sequencing of a follow-up test taken four days after the person in question arrived in the country, reveals Bjarni á Steig, the health ministry’s special medical advisor.

“The person tested negative upon arrival,” he says. “This shows us the great importance of doing these follow-up tests four days after arrival.”

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Given the presence of this new variant, believed to be up to 60 percent more transmissible than the UK variant, the doctor recommends that all incoming travellers self-isolate until they receive the result of the follow-up test taken four days after arrival.

“And, of course, I would recommend that everyone eligible to be vaccinated does so because the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is effective against both the UK and the Delta variants.”

Two new cases

Yesterday’s round of 768 Covid tests yielded two positive outcomes. Both are linked to a known chain of infection.

The daily numbers of positive tests over the past week have been as follows: 0, 0, 1, 2, 1, 5 and 2.

There are currently 12 active Covid-19 cases in the country. The 32 Russian sailors reported on this morning are not included in these statistics. The latest figures on corona.fo, updated yesterday, show that no-one is receiving hospital treatment for Covid-19, and 39 people are in quarantine.

According to the latest vaccination figures on corona.fo, updated this morning, 25,952 people (48.7 percent of the population) have received the first shot of the vaccine, while 16,505 (31 percent) have received the second shot.

For further information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, visit corona.fo.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

Translated by prosa.fo

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