Iceland reported 2,847 new infections over the past month, mostly from the highly infectious Delta variant and mostly in fully vaccinated people, offi

Iceland is proof that COVID-19 vaccines work, a leading US expert said. Infections are at record highs, but the nation hasn't recorded a single virus death since May.

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2021-08-18 11:30:09

Iceland reported 2,847 new infections over the past month, mostly from the highly infectious Delta variant and mostly in fully vaccinated people, official statistics indicated. This is the highest number of new infections in a month since the start of the pandemic, but vaccines appear to be doing their job. The vast majority of new infections are mild at worst.

The country hasn't recorded a single COVID-19 death since May 25, government statistics and Oxford University's Our World in Data indicated.

Carlos del Rio, a distinguished professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory School of Medicine, tweeted on Sunday that "Iceland proves vaccines work."

Brandon Guthrie, an epidemiologist and global health professor at the University of Washington, told The Washington Post that "having few deaths or severe cases of illness in the context of large surges should absolutely be seen as at least a partial victory."

Iceland ranks fourth in the world in vaccination rollout, having fully vaccinated 70.6% of its population. The three countries with higher vaccine rates are Malta (80.5%), United Arab Emirates (73.7%), and Singapore (73.1%).