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Covid-19 infections surge at National University Hospital of Iceland, disrupting operations and prompting heightened infection control measures

Tuesday 16th 2024 on 23:56 in  
Iceland

The recent rise in Covid-19 infections has been significantly impacting the National University Hospital of Iceland. The pandemic has escalated within several departments over the summer. Both patients and staff have contracted the virus, disrupting daily operations.

Infection control department manager, Ingunn Steingrímsdóttir, stated: “We are very aware of Covid now. There has been an increase in Covid in recent weeks. In week 28, there were 17 inpatients with Covid. Last week, there were 41 and it seems to be increasing this week.” She added that the rise in infections should not come as a surprise, as this is the third summer that a Covid wave has been experienced. Reduced hand sanitizing and fewer masks could explain the increased Covid infections.

In addition to SARS Covid and Influenza, other respiratory viruses such as hMPV, Rhino, and four other coronaviruses have also affected people. In the first week of July, 94 individuals were diagnosed with one of these across the country and 35 within the hospital. However, with the advent of self-testing, the hospital does not have detailed information, but it assumes that infections within the hospital reflect infections in the community. While the Covid virus is not the most harmful, all of them cause typical flu symptoms, such as fever, headache, cold, and sore throat.

Currently, 32 people are in isolation at the hospital due to Covid. Infection control measures will begin tomorrow, as announced by the hospital today. Regarding the Covid infections, Ingunn stated that it’s far from what it used to be. “It’s not as bad as it was at the beginning, but it may have just become like the other respiratory viruses that are also affecting us. It’s just an addition to them,” she explained.