New Record: 893 New COVID-19 Cases in Iceland
Lines for coronavirus testing have been long in recent days. mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi
A total of 893 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Iceland yesterday, mbl.is reports.
This is by far the largest number of new cases confirmed in one day since the pandemic began. The previous record was set the day before yesterday, when the total number of new confirmed cases was 671 (664 domestic ones and 7 at the border).
Of the 893 cases confirmed yesterday, 836 were domestic ones, while 57 were confirmed at the border. About 42 percent of the people diagnosed domestically were in quarantine when diagnosed.
At present, the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants has soared to 1,453.2, according to covid.is.
Twenty-one COVID-19 patients are in the hospital, four of them in intensive care.
A total of 7,060 people in Iceland are in quarantine and 4,995 in isolation.
Three government ministers, who all are members of the Independence Party, have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson was diagnosed yesterday and will be in isolation for ten days. In a Facebook message, posted yesterday, he states he has no symptoms of the disease.
Minister of Science, Industry and Innovation Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir was diagnosed with COVID-19 today. She reports having no symptoms.
Finally, Minister for Foreign Affairs Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week. She and her family spent Christmas in isolation. According to mbl.is, none of her family members have symptoms.
