Corona virus: how Iceland defeated the virus

How Iceland defeated the corona virus

Rigorous, but without a hard block: Iceland’s campaign against Corona is a great success. But now the country faces a dilemma.

Niels Anner from Copenhagen / Switzerland over the weekend

Iceland has brought the coronavirus under control in an impressive way. There have only been a handful of new infections in the past week; 97 percent of the 1,800 people recovered. Only 10 people died from Covid-19 without a hard block.

Many restaurants and shops remained open, except those such as hairdressers, where it is not possible to keep your distance. Kindergartens and elementary schools were also open, gatherings of up to 20 people were allowed; Since last Monday, the limit has been 50 people again, as long as they can keep their distance. Universities and museums have been open since May 4, swimming pools will follow soon, and outdoor sports clubs are possible. Events with up to 2,000 people are expected in the summer.

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Several factors were responsible for this development: a pandemic plan that allowed for a rapid reaction, a huge testing effort, and rigorous monitoring of all infections. A total of 19,000 people or more than 5 percent of the population were quarantined. Back in January, when China’s reports sounded more threatening, people who entered from risk areas were evaluated. Except for the Faroe Islands, no country has tested more proportionally to population than Iceland. Almost 15 percent of the 360,000 residents were examined by Corona, in Switzerland it is 3.4 percent.

The large volume of testing was made possible by the medical company DeCode Genetics, which specializes in genetic research. The founder, neurologist Kari Stefansson, realized that extensive testing was needed to understand the spread of the virus. He convinced health authorities to work closely together: both Reykjavik University Hospital and DeCode Genetics conducted tests.

The tracking app has been in use for a long time on the island

At the same time, a large team of officials, police and students began the search work: with each illness, the contacts of the person in question were quarantined, a process that continues to this day. A tracking app developed by local IT companies has also been available since early April, and is still being discussed in many other countries. So far, 40 percent of the population has downloaded the app on their cell phones.

Thanks to the testing activity, the Icelandic researchers soon discovered where the virus was introduced: the first cases were newcomers from ski vacations in the Alps, Italy and Austria. It was the Icelanders who recognized Ischgl as a source of danger and declared it a high-risk area on March 5, 2 days before the first case in Tyrol was confirmed.

Despite the success, economic problems persist: the volcanic island is closed, major tourism has collapsed, thousands have lost their jobs. Entry from the Schengen area is still possible, but then two weeks quarantine is mandatory, which naturally discourages visitors. Optimists expect tourism in late summer to be realistic, possibly in separate groups. However, the authorities want to prevent the virus from being reintroduced. Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thordarson said he was trying to speak to some countries about travel soon. With countries “that were successful in the fight against the virus.”