Þórólfur Guðnason (born 28 October 1953) is an Icelandic doctor who served as the Chief Epidemiologist of the Icelandic Directorate of Health from 2015 to 2022.[1][2] He was one of the lead members of the Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland, along with Alma Möller and Víðir Reynisson.[3][4]
Þórólfur Guðnason | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 October 1953 |
| Nationality | Icelandic |
| Education | University of Iceland 1981 University of Connecticut 1988 University of Minnesota 1990 |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Infectious Disease Control |
Early life and education
editÞórólfur grew up in Eskifjörður and later in Vestmannaeyjar where he lived until the age of 19.[3]
He specialized in pediatrics and pediatric infectious disease.[2] In 2013 he defended his doctoral thesis on the epidemiology of pneumococcal infections in young Icelandic children.[2]
Career
editChief Epidemiologist of Iceland
editThe vaccination of Icelandic children aged 12 to 15 began on 22 August 2021, with only the Pfizer/BioNTech used; Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason stating to the public that vaccinating children was "the right thing to do".[5] By 9 November 2021, 300,000 people had received a booster shot in Iceland, or 76% of the total population, and of those people, 10 had contracted COVID. Guðnason stated that of the around 270,000 people who were fully vaccinated, 4,500 or 1.6% had contracted COVID. At the time, eligible age groups did not include those under 12 years old.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Gunnar Gunnarsson (13 March 2020). "Eskfirðingur í eldlínunni". Austurfrétt (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "Nýr sóttvarnalæknir". The Directorate of Health (in Icelandic). 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ a b Einar Þór Sigurðsson (22 March 2020). "Nærmynd af Þórólfi: "Hann hefur alltaf komið manni til aðstoðar"". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ Sunna Kristín Hilmarsdóttir (13 March 2020). "Vinna vel saman á óraunverulegum tímum en eru oftast ósammála við upphaf verkefna". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ Vala Hafstað (August 23, 2021). "COVID-19 Vaccination of Children Begins in Iceland". Iceland Monitor.
- ^ Jelena Ćirić (November 9, 2021). "COVID-19 Booster Shots Could Help Iceland Reach Herd Immunity". Iceland Review.
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