7010 Covid in the Faroe Islands - Examinations of Infection Rates, Symptoms, and Antibodies of Covid Patients in the Faroe Islands

Original:
We suggest the following studies: a) To investigate the reproduction rate of COVID-19 and the development of the growth rate in relation to the double strategy of mitigation and containment in the Faroe Islands, where early calculations show R0 as being the lowest in Europe. R0 will also be determined directly using Individual level modelling. b) To estimate the case fatality rate and morbidity for COVID-19 in the Faroe Islands, where we anticipate few undiagnosed cases exist. Of note, the fatality rate in the Faroe Islands should be lower than eg. Italy, if arguments in the recent report in JAMA regarding age distribution, definition of COVID-19 related deaths and testing strategies are valid5. c) To undertake a large infrastructural investment in blood sampling of all individuals who are tested positive for COVID-19 and an equal number of controls who tested negative to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody formation and development. This will form the basis for several research projects, e.g. ‘the duration of infectious period for COVID-19 patients and the duration of protection from re-infection’, ‘serological study of immunity level in a longer perspective.

Final:
The project was planned already within a month after the first cases of Covid-19 in the Faroe Islands. The project strategy was to make a research network mobilizing relevant research actors, in the field of health research in the Faroe Islands, in an effort to gather as many data as possible regarding this new disease in the Faroe Islands. The project was broad in its scope and focused on Covid-19 epidemiology in the Faroe Islands, Covid-19/SARS immunology/serological response to Covid-19 disease, and on clinical aspects of this new disease. The main results were the detailed description of the (1) Epidemiological curve of Covid-19 disease in the Faroe Islands during the first wave of Covid-19, (2) Clinical description of Long Covid in the Faroe Islands, (3) sero-epidemiological studies of Covid-19 in the Faroe Islands, (4) effect of Covid-19 on cancer epidemiology in the Faroe Islands. Several papers have been published in high quality high impact scientific journals. The research has been presented and discussed with the WHO Europe office. A bio-bank has been created for future tranlational research projects regarding Covid-19 in the Faroe Islands.