PR83674

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Study combines the most intensive targeted testing and general screening of any

population to date with comprehensive sequencing of the virus from all

identified cases, to trace its mutation and spread

Results underscore the effectiveness and necessity of aggressive testing,

isolation of cases and physical distancing, as well as the urgency of more

testing to contain the virus and disease

Scientists at deCODE genetics and colleagues from Iceland's Directorate of

Health and the National University Hospital today publish online in the New

England Journal of Medicine a population-based study of the early spread of the

SARS-Cov-2 virus (causing COVID-19 disease) in Iceland. The aim of the study

was to provide as comprehensive a view as possible of how the virus spreads in

a population, in this case one of 360,000 and implementing early and aggressive

testing, tracking and isolation measures to contain the epidemic. The results

show that roughly 0.8% of the population at large is infected with several

strains or clades of the virus supporting the concern that silent carriers

spread the disease. This suggests that while the efforts of the public health

system have been effective so far in mitigating the spread to date, more data,

including massive population screening, will be key to informing efforts to

contain the virus in Iceland in the long run.

The study builds on combined targeted testing and population screening at more

than 60,000 tests/million at April 4, the stop date for the data in this study;

an additional 4,000 tests/million have been conducted in Iceland every day

since that time. Icelandic health authorities began testing those returning

from high-risk zones (mainly ski resorts in the Alps) and with likely symptoms

in the beginning of February, a month before identifying the first SARS-Cov-2

infection on February 28. As of April 4, this targeted testing had identified

1221 cases from among 9199 symptomatic individuals and their contacts. All

confirmed cases were placed in isolation and their contacts traced and put in

14-day home quarantine. To complement this testing and provide a view of the

spread of the virus in the general population, on March 13 deCODE began testing

volunteers who signed up for free screening. By April 1, 10797 people had been

screened in this effort, with 87 (0.8%) testing positive. From April 1 to April

4, an additional 2,283 randomly selected individuals were screened, with 13

(0.6%) testing positive. Analysis of the combined testing data suggests that

children and women are, in general, somewhat less susceptible to SARS-Cov-2

infection than men and adults.

"In attempting to carefully map the molecular epidemiology of COVID-19 in

Iceland we hope to provide the entire world with data to use in the collective

global effort to curb the spread of the disease," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of

deCODE genetics and a senior author on the paper.

deCODE sequenced the virus from 643 individuals and drew a family tree of the

different haplotypes (strings of sequence variants) found. Analysis of sequence

data reveals that the haplotypes of the virus detected in the early targeted

testing were almost entirely of the A2 clade originating in Austria and Italy

and entering Iceland with people returning from skiing holidays. By contrast,

the cases identified in the more recent targeted testing and in deCODE's

population screening show that various haplotypes of the A1 clade prevalent in

countries such as the UK had become more common, and that there is now a wide

and growing variety of haplotypes present in the population.

This suggests that the virus entered Iceland from many countries, including

those that were then deemed low-risk. Currently 291 mutations have been found

in the country that have not been identified elsewhere. One of the utilities of

the sequencing of the virus is that it makes it possible to track the contacts

and additional infections coming from confirmed cases. These data, and the fact

that the majority of new infections are coming from those already in

quarantine, underscores the general efficacy of public health efforts to track

and isolate these contacts and further control the spread of the virus.

"To bend the curve of this pandemic as quickly as possible, we need

scientifically accurate information on how COVID-19 spreads in communities,"

said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen. "I

believe deCODE's swift response to this emergency and the insights they have

generated will give give the rest of the world a stronger scientific foundation

for public health decisions."

Based in Reykjavik, Iceland, deCODE is a global leader in analyzing and

understanding the human genome. Using its unique expertise in human genetics

combined with growing expertise in transcriptomics and population proteomics

and vast amount of phenotypic data, deCODE has discovered risk factors for

dozens of common diseases and provided key insights into their pathogenesis.

The purpose of understanding the genetics of disease is to use that information

to create new means of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease. deCODE is a

wholly-owned subsidiary of Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN).

Contact:

Thora Kristin Asgeirsdottir

PR and Communications

deCODE genetics

thoraa@decode.is

+354 894 1909

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SOURCE: deCODE genetics