On Wednesday (06 October), Spitsbergen got the first confirmed case of a Covid-19 infection. The patient was not a local or a tourist, but a crew member of a Russian fishing ship who got evacuated for medical reasons near Bjørnøya, as NRK wrote. He was flown to Longyearbyen and later to the university hospital in Tromsø. There is only one intensive care bed with artificial respiratory equipment in Longyearbyen.
There is no suspicion of further infections, for example amongst the personell of the helicopter or in the hospital in Longyearbyen. The vaccination rate in Longyearbyen’s adult population is beyond 90 %, and locally, the public opinion about possible infections is generally relaxed.
Corona viruses on high seas: a crew member of a Russian fishing vessel was tested positive – the first positive corona test in Longyearbyen.
Until now, there had not been any officially confirmed corona infections in Spitsbergen beyond those on board the Hurtigruten ship Roald Amundsen in 2020, but the Roald Amundsen had not been to any of the settlements. The remarkably long period without any corona infections may, however, also have to do with the rather interesting local testing strategy, which is described as follows by some who wanted to get themselves or their children tested because they had symptoms which they considered relevant: “You have symptoms? Stay at home!” And later: “You don’t have symptoms? Then you don’t need a test.” This is also a way to keep a place corona-free 🙂 at least on paper.
In late September, Norway has lifted most corona restrictions, including travel restrictions for European countries and certain travellers from other countries, according to the Norwegian government.