The Directorate of Health
Respiratory tract infections. Weeks 40-41 of 2023
19th October 2023
A new review of the frequency of respiratory infections and hospitalizations in Iceland in autumn compares the situation in Europe.
Respiratory infections are common in the community and results from respiratory samples show that the most common causes are rhinovirus and COVID-19.
The number of COVID-19 diagnoses has dropped slightly in the past four weeks after an increase earlier this autumn. The rhinovirus diagnosis has also decreased as have the percentage of positive respiratory samples at the Department of Microbiology and Virology at Landspítali Hospital. Considerably more individuals are in hospital with diagnoses due to respiratory viruses now than at the same time last autumn.
The new report (Icelandic) further reviews the incidence of respiratory diseases in weeks 40 and 41 of 2023.
The Chief Epidemiologist