Monday Morning News & Notes
Booster dose campaign working in Denmark. RS virus and influenza complications.
🦠Pandemic🦠
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The eligibility for a 2nd booster dose in Denmark seems to have expanded to include employees of the Danish regions. At least one of the five regions sent out emails late last week telling region staff they can get a COVID booster dose regardless of whether they are among the current target groups or not.
Currently, only people in vulnerable or high-risk populations and everyone 50 years old and older can get a 2nd booster shot. But the email sent out by the region explicitly states that employees can get a booster dose even if they aren’t in the target groups.
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Over the last seven days, new coronavirus infections have been heavily concentrated among the 20 to 64 year old age groups. We know from the recent Statens Serum Institute pandemic update that it would be more accurate to say the 20 to 49 year old age groups as the lions share of those infections is actually among those under the age of 50. This is due to the ongoing booster dose campaign, which was seen case rates among the target group, those 50 years old and older, plummet.
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However, seniors continue to be at the highest risk of severe COVID infections resulting in hospitalization. In the last week, 84% of all coronavirus hospitalizations have been people 40 years old and older, and of those 64% are seniors over the age of 65.
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The Ministry of Health has appointed three new experts to assist the Epidemic Commission that advises the government during the pandemic. All three are experts in the social sciences.
Professor Michael Bang Petersen from Aarhus University has been chosen as one of the three experts. Petersen directed the HOPE project, which gauged public sentiment during the pandemic. The project released regular reports on the mood of the public as the pandemic unfolded. He also advised the government on developments throughout. Petersen also lent his knowledge on public behavior and communication during the pandemic to the World Health Organization and the European Union Commission.
Political Science Professor Peter Munk Christiansen:
“The experiences from the COVID pandemic, where Michael was very active after all, show that the understanding of how people react to demands and directives from the environment plays a significant role in how an epidemic progresses. And that is perhaps just as important as medical knowledge.”
In addition to Petersen, two more experts have been appointed to assist the commission; they are Associate Professors, Ph.D. Signe Smith Jervelund and Jes Søgaard.
The 11-member Epidemic Commission is an independent authority that advises the Danish Minister of Health and other ministers during dangerous outbreaks of diseases determined to be socially critical, like the COVID pandemic.
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The Statens Serum Institute says while it anticipates that while an RS virus infection wave appears to have peaked infants six months old and younger are still at high-risk. The SSI says this infection wave has hit the youngest infants the hardest with “many children hospitalized.” It adds that the risk of death due to an RS virus infection among infants is “very low.”
It says RS virus arrived much earlier than usual this year. The infection wave began in week 32, but the SSI believes the wave has peaked and cases will subside over the next few weeks. However, it says among vulnerable young infants it expects the virus to keep bouncing around for a few more weeks yet.
The institute also notes Denmark has never seen more than one RS virus wave in any given fall and winter. So it expects that once this infection wave dissipates, we won’t see another RS virus resurgence until next fall.
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Can mRNA technology that was so revolutionary with COVID vaccines be applied to influenza vaccines? Danish researchers at Aarhus University are going to help find an answer.
Professor and Chief Physician Lars Østergaard:
“For society, the decisive advantage of mRNA vaccines against seasonal flu will be that they are faster to develop and therefore more likely to work against seasonal flu strains.”
Aarhus University is one part of an international study that hopes to have some 23,000 participants. Aarhus University is looking for 300 people to take part.
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The Danish National Health Board is trying to boost dismally low influenza vaccination rates among young children. To date, the special pediatric nasal flu vaccine has only been administered by family doctors. But with just 42,500 kids getting vaccinated so far, the health agency says the risk is rising of a severe flu epidemic to come. It hopes to avert that. To do so, as of this week, vaccination centers across the country that have been used for COVID booster shots can now also administer the nasal influenza vaccine for kids two to six years old.
Deputy Director Helene Bilsted Probst:
“Unfortunately, there are still not that many parents who have taken up the offer of flu vaccination for their children between the ages of 2 and 6. It worries me because for several seasons we have had very little flu, and therefore, we run the risk of having an unusually severe flu season which will cause a lot of sickness throughout December and January. Children must be vaccinated to reduce the risk of them becoming ill and to limit the infection spread to others in their family who are a high-risk for severe influenza infections; for example, very young siblings and grandparents.”
The health board is concerned because COVID restrictions have wiped out two flu seasons and most of a third since the coronavirus pandemic began. This means less accrued immunity to influenza and a much larger swath of children who have never had the flu before making them especially vulnerable.
“It has been difficult to get children vaccinated. In a busy everyday life, it can be a challenge to get to a doctor for a family with children, which is why we are now enabling the vaccination centers, which are also open during off-peak hours and on weekends. We hope that the parents will be happy about this and that they will make use of it.”
Family doctors can still administer pediatric nasal vaccines. The vaccination centers can also give the nasal vaccine to young children either with an appointment or by drop-in.
🇸🇪
The Swedish Public Health Agency updates its COVID statistics once a week, every Thursday.
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The Swedish Public Health Agency is urging parents to protect their young children, and especially infants, as RS virus cases begin to mount. The agency says over the last four weeks there have been 337 reported RS virus infections. The majority of those infections were in children under the age of five. Infants account for a full third of the infections so far.
The public health agency warns that an RS virus epidemic is underway across the country and is expected to get worse in the coming weeks.
Epidemiologist AnnaSara Carnahan says it is important to protect the youngest children because they are at higher risk of severe infections than are older kids.
“RS virus is often spread in groups of children at preschools. Therefore, it is good to remember that preschool children can infect younger siblings. It is good to pay extra attention to symptoms and teach children to wash their hands often.”
For infants and young children, a severe RS virus infections can result in severe coughing and difficulty breathing.
The health agency says RS virus is spread through direct contact and via airborne droplets. It advises frequent hand washing with soap and water, using hand sanitizer, avoiding others who are sick, and the cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and objects to minimize infection spread.
🇳🇴
While Norway braces for another coronavirus wave, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health says, thankfully, that there is no sign yet of an influenza epidemic to further complicate things. An influenza vaccination campaign is currently underway in Norway, but like elsewhere in the Nordics uptake among young children is very low., which is a major concern. Among kids 17 years old and younger, the influenza vaccination rate is a measly 3.1%. 45% of Norwegians 65 years and older have a flu shot.
While overall cases remain low influenza-related hospitalizations have been ticking up. The NIPH says there were 28 flu-related hospitalizations in week 44 after 20 the previous week.
The proportion of influenza-related doctor visits, testing, and overall prevalence remain either stable or very low.
The institute says the bulk of flu infections (90%) are influenza A strains with no predominance between the H1 and H3 subtypes.
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The bad news is that RS virus infection numbers are on the rise. The NIPH says while overall case numbers are low with increasing infection numbers the next few weeks will determine whether Norway is seeing the beginning of an RS virus epidemic or not.
🇫🇮
Finland updates its pandemic statistics once a week every Thursday.
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Young people, especially women and minorities, suffered increased anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness due to COVID restrictions. That is the crux of a new report from the Finnish Institute for Health, which is called Youth Living Conditions 2022.
Lead Researcher Anna-Maria Isola says pandemic-related mental health impacts among young people were enormous.
“Being young includes trying and experiencing different things and meeting different people. Because the restrictions largely took away those opportunities, COVID restrictions had a huge adverse impact on the lives of young people, which could lead to anxiety and depression.”
Among the hardest hit were young students just starting university during the pandemic. Often that meant distance learning without the social contacts and student communities that are an intrinsic part of the school experience. Adverse psychological impacts related to the pandemic were five times higher among university students than any other group.
Specialist Researcher Marjatta Kekkonen:
"The pandemic pushed some university students and young people entering working life into difficult life situations. Young people's opportunities to rely on sources of social support, such as friends, hobbies, and close relationships, were reduced or completely cut off for a while.”
But it wasn’t all bad.
“However, pandemic restrictions were not equally difficult for all young people; some of them experienced success in distance learning in the form of improved academic performance, flexibility in time management, and the development of digital skills.”
The report found that young women, minorities, and those in the LGBTQ community suffered loneliness the most.
The health institute says it has recorded almost 450,000 confirmed coronavirus infections so far among people under the age of 30. But, severe infections, hospitalization, and death were “very rare.” There have been nine COVID deaths among young people under the age of 20. The number of pandemic fatalities increases to 18 for those 29 years old and younger. Vaccination rates are also high among young people in Finland, with four out of every five having at least two vaccine doses.
🇨🇦
The Public Health Agency of Canada has reduced the amount of pandemic information it now reports. It has also split that information up and now reports coronavirus cases and a general pandemic situation update on Tuesday. Hospitalizations are updated on Thursdays.
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A mix bag of new on the COVID hospitalization front in the latest update from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The good news was that the total number of hospital beds occupied by pandemic patients fell again. In the week ending November 7, there were 6,234 beds in use by patients who had tested positive; that is 151 fewer than the week before. All of the declines were in general admissions (5,830) with 156 fewer COVID patients week to week. The news is not so good for intensive care spaces or the number of severely infected people on a ventilator. ICU admissions increased by five to 253 beds in use, while the number of people on a ventilator also edged up by five to 107.
WHO🌏💉
A World Health Organization report on the global vaccine market shows that inequality continues to be a major problem. The report says that poorer countries continue to come up short for vaccines, especially of the vaccine is in demand in wealthier countries.
The WHO says limited supply and unequal distribution drive global vaccine disparities. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer has a vaccination rate of 41% in low-income countries where the disease burden is highest. Wealthy countries meanwhile, boast a rate of 81%.
Affordability and the drive for profit margins are also big factors in global vaccine inequity. The WHO says vaccines it has prioritized are not being developed or even fully invested in because of the limited profit potential.
Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
“The right to health includes the right to vaccines. And yet this new report shows that free-market dynamics are depriving some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people of that right. WHO is calling for much-needed changes to the global vaccine market to save lives, prevent disease, and prepare for future crises."
The WHO says COVID vaccines show the incredible potential for vaccine innovation, rapid manufacturing, and how a global response can be quickly scaled up. But the COVID vaccination campaign was also a prime example of global inequity, with poor and developing countries trailing well behind wealthier ones in receiving doses and getting their populations inoculated.
On the manufacturing side, while global capacity has increased just ten manufacturers control the supply of 70% of the world’s vaccine doses, not including COVID vaccines. And the world relies on just two suppliers for several of the top 20 most widely used vaccines. The WHO notes this is on top of regional supply insecurity. It says the African and Mediterranean regions rely on manufacturers somewhere else in the world for 90% of their procured vaccines. The global health agency says this is a giant Achilles heel that could exacerbate global vaccine supply issues in an emergency.
The WHO is calling for wholesale changes to improve global vaccine equality. It wants governments to develop clear immunization strategies, aggressively invest in vaccine development, improve oversight, and put in place clear rules for government collaboration should vaccine supply become scarce.
🦠
Getting a COVID infection can be bad. Getting multiple COVID infections can be much worse. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the Nature Journal that examined the health impacts of becoming infected with coronavirus more than once. The study used the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs national healthcare database
The study examined health outcome for people who had one, two, and even three or more COVID infections. It found that multiple coronavirus infections can increase the risk of pulmonary, cardiovascular, and hematological issues as well as increased risk of diabetes, gastrointestinal, kidney, mental health, musculoskeletal, and neurological disorders. It also increased the risk of death.
The study found that while people who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated faced a much higher risk of negative health outcomes, those who were fully vaccinated were still at increased risk of health impacts from multiple coronavirus infections.
“We showed that reinfection further increases risks of all-cause mortality and adverse health outcomes in both the acute and postacute phases of reinfection, suggesting that for people who have already been infected once, continued vigilance to reduce the risk of reinfection may be important to lessen the overall risk to one’s health.”
With that finding in mind, the study authors also called for a rethink on COVID mitigation strategies.
“A strategy that would result in vaccines that are more durable, cover a broad array of variants (variant-proof vaccine strategy), reduce transmission (and subsequently reduce the risk of infection and reinfection), and reduce both acute and long-term consequences in people who get infected or reinfected is urgently needed. Other pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical interventions to lessen both the risk of reinfection and its adverse health consequences are also urgently needed.”
The study authors say their work has a lot of strengths, but they also emphasize it has its weaknesses. Among them, due to using a military database study participants tended to be be older, and largely white, men. So, not necessarily reflective of society as a whole.
You can find the study in full HERE.
⚡️Energy Crisis⚡️
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Inflation in Denmark continues to rise and has now hit levels not seen since the 1980s as the impacts of the war in Ukraine and subsequent energy crisis ripple out. Statistics Denmark says the consumer price index rose by 10.1% in October. This is on the back of a 10% jump in September. The agency says you would have to go back to November of 1982 to see similar inflation numbers. It says the price of goods has also increased by 16% over the last year, an increase not seen in Denmark since June, 1980. The price of electricity, food, gas, and other fuels have seen some of the steepest price hikes.
🇸🇪
Sweden’s chances of reaching its climate change goals are hanging by a thread. New Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson says realizing its target reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 will be “difficult to achieve.” Sweden has pledged to cut CO2 emissions by 63% compared to 1990 levels by 2030. Svantesson blames the war in Ukraine, the subsequent energy crisis, and rising inflation for the situation. Sweden has recently invested heavily in nuclear power, but any impacts from that aren’t expected to be realized for at least another decade.
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German energy giant Uniper is trying to clarify things after a bit of a situation unfolded in Sweden. The company owns a nuclear power plant in Barsebäck, Sweden that is in the process of being decommissioned. Recently, the plants Director Åsa Carlson told Sweden TV station SVT that Uniper plans on building another nuclear plant just a short distance away from Barsebäck. Uniper spokesman Georg Oppermann now says this is all a misunderstanding and the company does not plan on building another nuclear power plant nearby.
🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺 War
🇬🇧/ 🇺🇦
The first intake of Ukrainian soldiers undergoing intensive training under the eye of international military instructors in the United Kingdom have finished their five-week boot camp. The soldiers will now return to the battle in Ukraine not just with new knowledge and tactics, but also with new military kit and other equipment.
The head of the international Armed Forces training program Michael Frandsen:
“The learning curve for the Ukrainians has been steep, and after five weeks of training the Ukrainians have gone from being recruits to soldiers and have achieved a really good training result.”
The Ukrainians were trained in weapons handling and use, first aid, and various types of warfare, and strategies. The international training program is being conducted in Great Britain with military instructors from the UK, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and others.
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British Defense Forces are sending a big shipment of equipment to Ukraine to help soldiers through the cold winter months ahead. The British Foreign Office says the winter package contains, among other things, 150 heated tents and around 12,000 sleeping bag sets. The winter aid will be sent to Ukraine by mid-December.
🇸🇪/ 🇷🇺
Swedish prosecutors have levied gross espionage charges against two men who are alleged to have been working for Russia as foreign agents. The Swedish Public Prosectors Office made the announcement in a press release. It says due to the nature of the charges, much of the exact details of the two cases will be kept secret.
Chief Prosecutor Per Lindqvist:
“It has been a complex investigation into a very difficult crime, and the suspicion relates to very serious crime aimed at Sweden's intelligence and security system. The offense is serious because it concerns matters of great importance. Information that has been acquired, passed on and passed on without authorization may, by reaching a foreign power, be detrimental to Sweden's security.”
One of the men worked in the Swedish Armed Forces from 2011 to 2014 and was then employed by Sweden’s Security Police.
Swedish Armed Forces Communications Director Peder Ohlsson:
“The crime these people are suspected of is very serious. That the two were discovered, arrested and now prosecuted is very positive and is the result of close cooperation between the Swedish Armed Forces and the Security Police. Since the suspect worked in the Armed Forces, a series of measures have been taken to better detect things that could pose security risks. Both in the short and long term.”
The two men were taken into custody separately last year, one in September of 2021 and the other in the following November.
🇸🇪/ 🇫🇮
A hard No. That is the answer from Sweden on the issue of whether it would allow NATO to place nuclear weapons on Swedish soil when, and if, the country becomes a full time member of the military alliance. Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström spoke to news agency TT and said Sweden would add the nuclear weapons ban as a reservation within its NATO agreement.
Finland is going in the opposite direction, with the government there saying it will allow NATO to place nuclear weapons in Finland. This is a reversal for Finland, when it initially tabled its NATO application Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at the time that Finland would under no circumstances allow nuclear weapons or any NATO military bases on Finnish soil.
🇩🇰/ 🇺🇦
More people immigrated into Denmark in the first three quarters of this year than in any entire previous year going back to 2017. Statistics Denmark attributes that to the wave of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion that arrived in Denmark this year. Ukrainians made up 56% of all immigrants in the second quarter of this year and then another 13% in the third quarter. In the last quarter 36,264 immigrants arrived in Denmark.
But while Ukrainians are driving immigration increases into Denmark, emigration out of Denmark is also rising. In the last quarter emigration increased by 29% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2021.