COVID-19 in Iceland
Current COVID-19 activity in Iceland — based on ECDC ERVISS weekly data from the Directorate of Health (Landlæknir).
Current situation: COVID-19
In week 15 of 2026, activity of COVID-19 in Iceland is low. The trend — derived from clinical surveillance — is falling. Over a four-week comparison, a clear decline is visible.
The classification is based on the ECDC ERVISS weekly reports, drawing on COVID-19 surveillance data from the Directorate of Health (Landlæknir) via primary-care surveillance and Landspítali laboratory data. Seasonally, infection waves in Iceland typically peak during winter, with occasional summer waves driven by new variants; activity is usually markedly lower in late spring between waves. How severe a given season becomes depends on the circulating virus variant and the population's immune status, among other factors.
Data sources and methodology
The current picture for Iceland is built on the European Respiratory Virus Surveillance Summary (ERVISS), published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). the Directorate of Health (Landlæknir) via primary-care surveillance and Landspítali laboratory data is the national public-health authority that feeds ERVISS with sentinel primary care and virology data.
ECDC ERVISS
ERVISS is ECDC's weekly pan-European surveillance summary for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. National authorities — in Iceland's case the Directorate of Health (Landlæknir) via primary-care surveillance and Landspítali laboratory data — submit harmonised indicators every week, which ECDC publishes in a standardised dataset on Thursdays. Using ERVISS rather than each country's native portal ensures cross-country comparability.
ILI / ARI consultation rates and positivity
the Directorate of Health (Landlæknir) via primary-care surveillance and Landspítali laboratory data operates a sentinel network of general practices that report weekly rates of patients consulting for influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory infection (ARI). A subset of patients is swabbed and tested by reference laboratories, producing pathogen-specific positivity rates for flu, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Why this source
Combining consultation incidence with virological positivity yields a pathogen-specific weekly incidence signal (ILI × positivity / 100). This is the standard European methodology and provides a more robust view than either indicator alone — consultation rates capture illness burden, positivity confirms which pathogen is driving it.
Qualitative classification
The “low”, “moderate” and “high” categories follow seasonal reference values and epidemiological thresholds calibrated to match our classifications for other countries. The ILI × positivity / 100 product is scaled to comparable thresholds using a divisor of 3, which aligns European sentinel peaks with the consultation-equivalent scale used elsewhere. Data refreshes weekly when ECDC publishes the latest ERVISS update, typically on Thursdays.
Frequently asked questions
How is COVID-19 monitored in Iceland today?
COVID-19 surveillance in Iceland is now integrated into Landlæknir's weekly respiratory-virus monitoring. Key indicators include primary-care consultations, laboratory positivity at Landspítali, hospitalisations and ICU admissions for severe acute respiratory infection, and variant characterisation at the hospital's reference laboratory. Results are published weekly and also reported to ECDC for inclusion in ERVISS.
Is COVID-19 still a concern in Iceland?
COVID-19 is endemic in Iceland and continues to cause winter hospitalisations, concentrated in older adults and people with chronic or immunosuppressive conditions. Vaccination and prior infections mean most adults experience an illness similar to flu or a heavy cold. Targeted booster campaigns and symptomatic monitoring have replaced general restrictions, and Landlæknir tracks the weekly picture alongside flu and RSV.
When do COVID-19 waves happen in Iceland?
COVID-19 in Iceland has not settled into a single seasonal rhythm. Winter waves overlapping with flu and RSV are the most consistent pattern, but summer or spring upticks have occurred when immune-escape variants emerged. Because the population is small, waves can rise sharply once a new lineage establishes, making multi-week hospital-admission and positivity trends the most reliable early-warning signals.
Who is eligible for a COVID-19 booster in Iceland?
Landlæknir recommends seasonal COVID-19 boosters primarily for adults aged 60 and above, people with pre-existing conditions, pregnant women, residents of long-term-care facilities, and healthcare workers. Vaccines are delivered through primary-care health centres at no cost for eligible groups. Landlæknir publishes uptake and virological-surveillance updates in the same weekly cycle.
Are new variants still tracked in Iceland?
Yes. Landspítali's laboratory continues to sequence SARS-CoV-2 samples from hospital and sentinel cases, and Iceland has historically been a high-sequencing country relative to its size. Most emerging lineages cause illness comparable to their predecessors, but variants with substantial immune escape can drive larger waves. Icelandic variant-trend reports feed into ECDC ERVISS for EU/EEA-wide context.
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