With quite a flattering track record regarding the Covid-19 outbreak, Iceland has become something of a 'laboratory'. The fact is that the population is genetically very homogeneous, which could be an advantage for the country and allow many answers to be provided on the coronavirus.
Iceland and its 360,000 inhabitants have a more than respectable Covid-19 record:1,789 cases for 10 deaths . If geographical isolation is to be taken into account, it should be noted that the country has carried out numerous screening tests. As Bloomberg explains in an April 21, 2020 article, Iceland has tested about 10% of its population . However, this rate is higher than Spain and even Germany, known to have reacted very well. France has tested only 0.7% of its population.
Great architect of this success, the local company DeCODE Genetics. Specialized for more than twenty years in the genetic studies of populations, this company offers free tests for anyone , even in the absence of symptoms. DeCODE Genetics believes that having carried out more tests (in proportion) than any other country has helped to stem the epidemic. Incidentally, the researchers made a discovery, namely that half of the positive cases were asymptomatic.
Practice testing has proven to be very effective, but the secret to Icelandic success has another component. Indeed, DeCODE Genetics has investigated each confirmed case and indicates that it has identified no less than forty strains of the virus ! This is genotyping of the coronavirus, making it possible to determine its geographical origin. The researchers recalled that since its appearance in Wuhan, Covid-19 has undergone multiple small mutations.
DeCODE Genetics then paired its data with that of the patients. The goal? Determining whether genetics affect disease progression from one patient to another. The question is whether it is about the genetics of the patient, that of Covid-19 or an interaction between the two. Researchers hope to better understand the mechanisms of the virus and whether the genes of infected people play a role. It is particularly a question of understanding why the virus is dazzling in the case of some people and not very virulent in others.
This project is promising as Iceland has a small population and is very genetically homogeneous. Not only is it possible to establish family ties between practically all the citizens of the country, but above all, the country is very little exposed to immigration. DeCODE Genetics has already studied the genome of a third of the population Icelandic and does not intend to stop in such a good way.
