Iceland has a population of 354,134 people across 40,000 square miles, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Unlike the U.S, Iceland was on top of the coronavirus situation before it became too big of an issue.
Before the end of February, Iceland implemented a contact tracing team, which shortly got the notice that the first case of Covid-19 had been confirmed. The tracing team considered anyone who spent more than 15 minutes near the man infected with the first case, to be possibly infected. Within 24 hours they had come up with a list of 56 people who were “potentially infected”, and contacted them with orders to quarantine for 14 days.
Related: Natural Coronavirus Prevention
The tracing team, too, kept growing, until it had fifty-two members. They worked in shifts out of conference rooms in a Reykjavík hotel that had closed for lack of tourists. To find people who had been exposed, team members scanned airplane manifests and security-camera footage. They tried to pinpoint who was sitting next to whom on buses and in lecture halls.
How Iceland ‘Virtually Eliminated’ Its Coronavirus Cases
Unfortunately, three cases followed the first, six more cases after that, and by mid-march, there were 60, 70, up to 100 new cases a day. Relative to the population, cases were rising at a higher rate than even here in the U.S. That being said, Iceland also tested at a higher rate per capita than other country in the world. By May 17th, 15.5% of the population had been tested. By mid-may, the tracing team was nearly out of potentially infected people to contact, and only two new cases had been reported in the previous week.
Coronavirus tests in Iceland also testing the DNA sequence of the virus from everyone who tested positive. The virus picks up random mutations as it is passed from person to person, thus allowing researchers to track the diseases spread. Researchers found, despite most of Europe focusing on Italy, the virus had come in from many different nations, Britain, the U.S, both West, and East cost, Austria, and back and forth between countries.
If you’re worried about the coronavirus, the best thing you can do for yourself and those around you is to prioritize gut health through a healthy diet. Read this article to learn more about how to heal the gut.
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