Successful vaccination start

The first people in the Faroes were given the Covid vaccine yesterday.

Frontline health workers were first in line, with 55 staff members at Tórshavn’s National Hospital getting the jab, 41 at Klaksvík Hospital and 24 at Suðuroy Hospital.

According to Tummas í Garði, COO of the Hospital Service, a few of these people experienced mild pain at the injection site, but no serious side effects were observed.

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There has been some uncertainty about when the second batch of vaccines would arrive in the country. However, the Faroese health authorities have now been assured that it will arrive in the second week of January.

This means that they have changed their initial plan to store away half of the first batch for follow-up vaccinations three weeks later. Now, the remaining doses from the first batch will instead be administered to as many people as possible straight away.

Once all frontline health workers have been vaccinated, staff at residential and nursing institutions will be next on the list, followed by residents at these institutions.

More doses than expected

According to vaccine manufacturer Pfizer, each bottle of its vaccine contains five doses. However, Faroese vaccination staff found that without any spillage, each bottle contains up to seven doses. This has also been observed in Denmark.

“It may be too early to say anything for certain, but it’s a promising sign as it means we might be able to vaccinate more people than we first thought,” says pharmacist Niels Joensen, who is part of the vaccination team at the National Hospital.

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

Translated by prosa.fo