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These are the symptoms of coronavirus 0:31
(CNN) - There is a lot of Iceland that other countries could envy: its spectacular natural environment, its place among the happiest countries in the world and, now, its large-scale tests for the new coronavirus, which could influence how the world understand the outbreak.
Experts have said that extensive testing is key to monitoring the coronavirus and creating a more accurate picture of the spread of covid-19. This island-nation of 360,000 inhabitants is doing exactly that.
As of Tuesday, Iceland had tested more than 17,900 people for coronavirus, nearly 5% of its population. And although the National University Hospital evaluates people at high risk or who show symptoms, almost half of the tests in Iceland have been carried out by the biopharmaceutical company deCODE Genetics, which focuses on the general population.
Crucially, the "deCODE screening program" accepts everyone who is symptom-free and currently not in quarantine, "the Icelandic Health Directorate said in a statement, adding that the Iceland-based company was doing on behalf of the chief epidemiologist and the health agency.
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What have been the main findings?
DeCODE, a subsidiary of the American biotech company Amgen, has so far evaluated about 9,000 self-selected people.
"The results of additional tests conducted by deCODE have given an indication that efforts to limit the spread of the virus have been effective so far," the government wrote last week, adding that "tests in the general population will continue to provoke a much clearer picture of the actual spread of the SARS-CoV-2 (covid-19) virus in Iceland. "
Some of the revelations have been stark. Although less than 1% of tests tested positive for the virus, the company's founder, Dr. Kári Stefánsson, told CNN that about 50% of people who tested positive said they were asymptomatic, confirming multiple studies. They show that people who have played an important role in the spread of the virus are asymptomatic or that their symptoms are very mild.
"What this means is that because we are evaluating the general population, we are identifying early on which people have the infection before they start showing symptoms," Stefánsson said.
"It should be borne in mind that the examination is now random, but voluntary, so there is a bias in the data," the Health Directorate said in a statement, adding that "a random examination program was started and carried out a planned blood serum test to detect antibodies. "
The work has also helped researchers visualize the spread of the virus. "We can determine the geographic origin of the virus in each [case] in Iceland," he said, adding that there are specific minor mutations for the virus that come from Italy, Austria and the UK. "There was one that is specific to the west coast of the United States," he added.
Stefánsson wonders if the mutations in the virus are “somehow responsible for the different way in which people respond to it: some simply develop a mild cold, while others need a respirator,” or if the genetics of one person dictates his condition.
"Or is it a combination of these two?" Asked the expert.
His company is in a better position than most to answer that question, since it has the medical and genotype data of almost half of Iceland's population.
How it feels to have coronavirus 2:16Why has Iceland chosen not to implement isolation orders?
Iceland has yet to take many of the draconian measures seen in Europe and Asia as statewide lockouts, although the island country has banned gatherings of 100 or more and has closed secondary and tertiary schools.
Officials say more restrictive measures were not needed because they were better prepared and armed with data to track the virus.
"Testing and tracing contacts is one of the key reasons why a blockade has not been deemed necessary until now," the Icelandic Directorate of Health said in a statement to CNN.
"There is also another reason, no less important: we have followed a very aggressive quarantine policy for people - suspected to be at risk of contracting the virus - for much longer and on a larger scale than in most countries ”.
Iceland began evaluating its population in early February, weeks before its first coronavirus-related death, Stefánsson said, adding that health officials have aggressively tracked confirmed and suspected cases of covid-19.
Government data shows that there are 1,086 confirmed infections in Iceland and 927 people currently in isolation, while more than 5,000 have been quarantined.
"The only reason we are doing better is because we were even more vigilant," he said. “We take seriously the news of an epidemic that started in China. We did not shrug our shoulders and said, 'This will be nothing extraordinary.' ”
Stefánsson expects the company to screen at least 50,000 people (about 13% of the population) before the virus has run its course.
"It is extremely important to know what the distribution is in society at large, because when designing measures to contain the virus," health officials need to know whether the virus is spreading in the community or circulating among groups, Stefánsson said.
Iceland has not been immune to a shortage of supplies. Stefánsson said there were problems obtaining swabs for the tests, but have since been rectified.
Could you provide a roadmap for other countries?
Stefánsson says Iceland could help countries develop models for the spread of the disease, or help researchers understand community transmissions.
Many have observed that Iceland's small population helps it conduct large-scale tests, but Stefánsson disagrees. "It has nothing to do with the size of the population, this has to do with how well prepared it was" for the pandemic, he says.
He adds that many developed countries have an "incredible talent pool" that could have "done industrial testing like this a long time ago" but "behaved as if nothing was happening."
- Minali Nigam contributed to this report.
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