Iceland’s “Second Wave” Mostly Affecting People Under 40

About 40% of those with active COVID-19 symptoms are people under the age of 30, RÚV reports, primarily in the 18 to 29 year old age bracket. About half of those already infected with the corona virus are from the ages 18 to 40. More needs to be done to reach people in this age bracket about preventative measures, the Directorate of Health believes.

Alma Möller, the director of the Directorate of Health, was asked at a press conference held last week whether this data indicates that young people have stopped caring about contracting the virus. She replied that she considered this unlikely, as no one actually wants to be infected.

In fact, there may be other explanations for this age group comprising the bulk of the second wave. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), pointed out last week that young people typically display milder symptoms of COVID-19 than older people, and so they might not be fully aware that they are infected.

In point of fact, Iceland is not alone in this trend. Euronews has reported on a similar trend across northern Europe, which has caused WHO concern.

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