It was initially dismissed as crossing the line. Needing a permit. Ethically unsound.
But on March 9, the Icelandic government reversed their position and gave the go-ahead for private biopharmaceutical company deCode Genetic's CEO Kári Stefánsson to begin his mission - to test the entire Icelandic population for Covid-19.
After explaining to heath and ethics authorities that no information would be collected for the company's private use, the country-wide voluntary testing commenced on March 13.
Members of the public with no connections to confirmed cases, or symptoms, would be able to be tested for the virus.
Which would theoretically, if the sample size was significant enough, give an idea as to how many in Iceland had been affected.
One week later, a total of 5,571 people were tested by deCode Genetic, yielding 48 positive samples.
Iceland has over 580 cases in total.
"We want to help Landspítali [National University Hospital], which has limited capacity,” said Stefánsson to Iceland Monitor.
"We have the equipment, a lab equipped for work with viruses, and people who are experts at this."
One issue that has recently popped up is Stefánsson's eagerness to release the data they have to aid the fight against Covid-19. According to a report by local media, the CEO of deCode took issue with data protection officials allegedly taking the weekend off.
The CEO of the Data Protection Authority appeared to deny the claims and stated that the agency is committed to delivering results.
Despite the hiccups, the initial results helped scientists be able to conclude that less than one per cent of the population was infected and about half of those who tested positive had been quarantined prior.
Apart from identifying individuals, the test data can also track how the virus mutates, which gives scientists a clue on how it spreads across countries and populations.
The Icelandic authorities hope that with the ongoing nationwide testing, the burden on healthcare resources can be eased as they contain the viral spread.
Top photo by Ezekiel Elin via Unsplash