COVID Roundup: New COVID Death, Schools Worried, Restrictions Not Relaxing Soon

COVID Roundup: New COVID Death, Schools Worried, Restrictions Not Relaxing Soon

Published January 3, 2022

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
iira116 - Pixabay

Kjarninn reports that there has been a new death due to complications arising from the coronavirus. The person in question was a woman in her eighties, and passed away on New Year’s Eve. This marks the 38th death to coronavirus in Iceland.

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Tomorrow, winter break ends for most Icelandic schools and after school centres. While chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason had recommended extending the break until the 10th, ultimately Minister of Health Willum Þór Þórsson opted to pass on making that decision, leaving it instead to Minister of Schools and Children’s Affairs Ásmundur Einar Daða­son. He, too, passed on this recommendation, which has not been universally well received by educators. Þorgerður Laufey Diðriksdóttir, the chair of the association of primary school teachers, told RÚV that she considers this decision (or lack thereof) to be a “beginner’s mistake” on his part.

In other news, there were 798 recorded domestic cases of the coronavirus in Iceland yesterday, plus an additional 81 at the border. Of yesterday’s domestic cases, 421 were outside quarantine at diagnosis.

540 are in border screening quarantine, with 7,937 in domestic quarantine and 6,273 in isolation. According to the latest data from Landspítali hospital, there are currently 25 people in hospital and seven in intensive care. Of those in intensive care, six are unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, on December 29th, the 14-day incidence per 100,000 people for fully vaccinated adults who have had a booster shot was 781.1 (0.78%); for fully vaccinated children (i.e. those born in 2006 or sooner), 1,060.1 (1.06%); for fully vaccinated adults without a booster shot, 2,781.5 (2.8%); for unvaccinated adults, 1,495 (1.5%), and for unvaccinated children, 1,955.8 (2%). Bear in mind that this data is derived from people who have sought sample testing.

283,920 people aged 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of December 30th, comprising 90% of this age group. 159,234 have also received booster shots.

Getting a booster shot is a very straightforward process, with no barcode required. More information on that can be found here. For your first and second vaccination, you can sign up here.

As always, be sure to abide the domestic restrictions and border regulations.

More statistics and information can be found at covid.is or below.

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