One in two coronavirus cases show no symptoms Iceland study shows

ONE in two coronavirus cases have no symptoms, a study carried out in Iceland reveals.

Nearly 5 per cent of the island’s 360,000 residents underwent tests for Covid-1, CNN reported.

The researchers found that of the fewer than 1 per cent who were found to have the virus approximately half were asymptomatic or just mildly symptomatic, supporting the argument that people who do not show symptoms have played a key part in spreading Covid-19.

The founder of one of the companies which carried out the tests, Kari Stefansson, said he believed that by screening the general population, including people who are not showing symptoms, the country was managing to catch cases early on in the infection.

He also said he believed the screening had allowed for determining the geographic origin of each coronavirus case in Iceland.

Unlike many countries in Europe, Iceland has not introduced a national lockdown, although gatherings of 100 people are more are prohibited and secondary school and colleges have been shut.