On Mar. 15, 2020, Iceland health authorities and deCode Genetics announced they began comprehensive screening for the virus that causes COVID-19 among the Icelandic population. The testing results of the first 5,571 diagnosed tests yielded 48 positive samples.

To date a total of 4,197 samples have been diagnosed by the healthcare system. The healthcare system’s testing has yielded 425 results indicating infection. About a third (34%) of all cases can be traced to overseas travel, mostly to high-risk areas identified in the European Alps. More than a quarter (32.7%) of cases have been traced to domestic transmission. The rest (33.2%) have not been conclusively traced to a source of transmission.

Current efforts to estimate the prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within the general, largely non-symptomatic, non-quarantined, population in conjunctions with very expansive testing already performed on those who were symptomatic or were for other reasons considered to be at-risk for having contracted the virus, have resulted in a total of 9 768 individuals in Iceland being tested out of a population of 364 thousand. In terms of tests per one million inhabitants, Iceland has now tested 26 762, which is the highest proportion we are aware of in the world.

This leads to a higher confidence in our efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the country. The combined efforts also provide a very valuable insight into the spread of the virus. In the coming days more results from testing in the general population will continue to elicit a much clearer picture of the actual spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Iceland.

The results of the additional tests performed by deCode have given an indication that efforts to limit the spread of the virus have been effective so far. In Iceland, these measures have focused on testing, contact tracing of infections, social distancing, public efforts to increase basic awareness of hand sanitation, voluntary self-quarantine measures (currently about 5 448 individuals), and strict measures at healthcare institutions, nursing homes and the likes. Of the 473 cases identified 13 are individuals over age 70, considered to be the most at-risk group.

A ban on gatherings of 100 people or more took effect on March 15 and are planned to remain for four weeks. Secondary and tertiary education institutions have closed, but primary schools and kindergartens will remain open with specific measures implemented to limit infection risks. Icelanders abroad have been advised to return home early, and Iceland has decided to join the EU/Schengen ban on non-essential travel from outside the area.

It will remain the focus of Icelandic authorities to slow down the spread of the virus in order to protect the infrastructure of the healthcare system. Iceland will also focus on using its geographic location and high testing capabilities to provide information and data to the global scientific community in order to contribute to a better understanding and help limit the damage being done by the pandemic.