We came across several posts on X claiming that Iceland has banned COVID-19 vaccines due to an increase in sudden deaths.
More prominently, the claim was shared by Jim Ferguson, who unsuccessfully competed for election to the British House of Commons in 2019 as a member of the Brexit Party. His X post has garnered over 200,000 views at the time of this fact-check. Ferguson had also been previously called out for amplifying misinformation, through his X post, about COVID-19 vaccines causing AIDS.
With the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Singapore and COVID-19 vaccines still being offered at clinics and Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres in Singapore, we decided to take a closer look at the claim to determine if there was any truth to it.
The X posts cite an article by Evol News titled “Iceland Bans Covid Shots amid Soaring Sudden Deaths”, which claims that as “unexplained” health issues continue to increase around the world, Iceland’s government has banned COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for the foreseeable future.
The article by Evol News alleges that Sasha Latypova, a blogger with a history of sharing anti-vaccine content, received information that the Icelandic government has announced that COVID-19 vaccines will be stopped in Iceland after a conference called “Let the Science Speak” was held in Iceland in October.
Let the Science Speak
The Let the Science Speak conference engaged in topics of concern for the anti-vax community, such as injuries and cases of deaths as a result of vaccination, and whether vaccines meet security standards.
In a blog post following the conference, Latypova – who also spoke at the conference – stated that COVID-19 vaccines were no longer offered in Iceland and cited an allegedly “cryptic announcement” published in an Icelandic newspaper article stating that the COVID-19 vaccines would not be available at health centers “at the moment”.
Is Iceland administering any COVID-19 vaccines?
There have been no credible news reports on soaring sudden death rates in Iceland and COVID-19 vaccines being banned as a result.
According to Iceland’s chief epidemiologist, Gudrun Aspelund (Guðrún Aspelund), there has not been an increase in sudden deaths in the country. Moreover, there have been no official statements issued by the country’s Directorate of Health, or other government agencies, about a sudden rise in mortality rates in Iceland.
In addition, COVID-19 vaccines remain available, and a seasonal vaccination campaign is underway. While there are no plans to immunise the entire population, COVID-19 vaccinations are still being recommended to high-risk groups, such as the elderly, the immunocompromised, and healthcare workers. This is aligned with the guidance from the World Health Organisation in August 2023.
Therefore, the claim that Iceland is banning COVID-19 vaccines is false.
