Þórólfur Guðnason | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-10-28)28 October 1953 (age 71) |
| Nationality | Icelandic |
| Education | University of Iceland 1981 University of Connecticut 1988 University of Minnesota 1990 |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Infectious Disease Control |
Þórólfur Guðnason (born 28 October 1953) is an Icelandic doctor who served as the Chief Epidemiologist of the IcelandicDirectorate 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic in Iceland, along withAlma Möller andVíðir Reynisson.[3][4]
Þórólfur grew up inEskifjörður and later inVestmannaeyjar where he lived until the age of 19.[3]
He specialized inpediatrics and pediatricinfectious disease.[2] In 2013 he defended his doctoral thesis on the epidemiology ofpneumococcal infections in young Icelandic children.[2]
The 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]
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