An elderly woman died yesterday due to COVID-19. She is the first Icelander to succumb to this illness, and the second death in the country caused by the virus. An Australian man passed away in Húsavík last Monday, and it was confirmed later that week that it was due to COVID-19.
According to covid.is, as of this writing there have been 588 confirmed infections to date. The good news is that the number of new infections has dropped dramatically, although that could simply be due to the fact that tests are becoming short in supply.
In fact, as of yesterday, only 2,000 swabs remained in the country. According to Fréttablaðið and epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason, the medical community is doing all they can to get more.
That said, it is worth keeping in mind that this outbreak is expected to peak in mid-April, and also that the average increase in patients has been among the lowest in Iceland, compared to other European countries.
We send our condolences to the family of the deceased and urge everyone reading to stay inside during these difficult times.
Tune into our daily COVID-cast for more on recent coronavirus-related developments in Iceland.
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