From Iceland — Chief Epidemiologist Urges Caution Despite Promising Coronavirus Numbers

Chief Epidemiologist Urges Caution Despite Promising Coronavirus Numbers

Published May 3, 2021

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
Vísir

Even though the latest cases over the weekend—wherein only 10 people over the past three days were diagnosed with coronavirus, all of them in quarantine at the time—are certainly encouraging, chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason wants the public to remember that the virus is still very much among us, Vísir reports.

“The virus is still there,” he told reporters at a press conference today. “It hasn’t gone anywhere. We know that the incubation period is so long, where a week can go by from the time someone gets the virus until they become ill. There are those with few to no symptoms, so it could crop up again. But this is a good situation as it is now.”

That said, the government’s vaccination drive has recently shifted into high gear.

Roughly 10% of the country is now fully vaccinated, and Vísir reports that some 10,000 people are supposed to get the Pfizer vaccine tomorrow, and another 6,000 to receive the single-dose vaccine from Janssen on Wednesday.

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