An island off the coast of Estonia has been labeled 'corona island' after half of its population is presumed to have contracted COVID-19

• Edward Laane, a doctor on Estonia's island of Saaremaa, believes half of the residents of the island have COVID-19.
• At least 1,400 people across Estonia have tested positive for COVID-19, but Laane believes thousands more on Saaremaa were exposed to the virus and likely contracted it.
• COVID-19 cases emerged in March after an Italian volleyball team played a match on the island in front of 1,000 people.
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An island off the coast of Estonia has become a COVID-19 hot spot in recent weeks, and locals have dubbed it "Corona Island" because of how hard it's been hit.

Half of the residents of Saaremaa, which has a population of about 33,000 are presumed to have COVID-19, an island doctor, Edward Laane, told BBC News.

COVID-19 cases emerged on the island after two large events in March, the first a volleyball match with an Italian team, the second a champagne festival. More than a 1,000 island locals and people from Estonia's mainland attended the volleyball game, and officials fear the festival may have quickened the spread of the virus.

It's unclear exactly how many people have tested positive for COVID-19 on Saaremaa, but Estonia as a whole has at least 1,400 reported cases. Laane believes thousands more on Saaremaa have been exposed to the virus.

Laane said the island only has 147 hospital beds and is expecting 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations by April 20.

In early April, a military field hospital opened on Saaremaa to help with cases, Reuters reported, and some patients have been flown to mainland Estonia, according to Estonian Public Broadcasting.

To help prevent the spread of the virus, the Estonian government stopped passenger traffic to and from the island in mid-March, and Saaremaa has a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site available to residents.

"For the very first time since the Soviet occupation, people need permits to enter," Anu Vares, who works with the island's crisis center, told the BBC. "But this time it is because of our free will to protect our people and their health."