The Evening Report - Aug 2
Global COVID deaths rise. Denmark to host a conference on military help for Ukraine.
🦠Pandemic🦠
🇩🇰
Denmark’s COVID contact number, reinfection rate or R0, continues to jump around inching back up to 0.8 this week from 0.7 last week according to the Danish Health Ministry.
It says coronavirus wastewater surveillance shows decreasing activity in all but Region Syddanmark, where virus activity increased.
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There is growing evidence that hybrid immunity offers the best protection against new, more concerning Omicron variants. The Danish Statens Serum Institute has published a study finding that three vaccine doses and a prior Omicron infection provide strong protection against symptomatic infection from the BA.5 variant. The study is a pre-print and has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The study involving over 160,000 participants found that two vaccine doses and a booster using the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, along with a prior Omicron infection provides 94% protection against infection from the BA.5 variant.
There were 164,369 people in the control group who tested negative over a three month period and a group of 4,809 who were infected with the BA.5 variant.
The study also found that the BA.5 variant may have an increased risk of hospitalization.
“When age and period of infection are taken into account, BA.5 leads to relatively more hospitalizations than BA.2.”
However, the SSI said that Omicron variants still cause less severe infections overall compared to the Delta variant, which it calls “the most serious of the COVID variants so far.”
It says the study results are a good sign for Denmark, with three-quarters of the adult population having two doses and a booster. Over a third of the population also had an Omicron infection between November and March.
You can find the pre-print study HERE.
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COVID hospitalizations (464) dipped (-23) while the number of severe coronavirus infections in an ICU (17) were unchanged, and of those the number on a ventilator (7) inched up (+2). Infection admissions to a psychiatric ward (78) are also unchanged.
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Over the last seven days COVID related hospitalizations continue to be concentrated among seniors 65 years old and older.
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Denmark reported 1,953 COVID infections (underreported), including 475 reinfections, and added 11 more coronavirus deaths in the last day. Pandemic deaths have increased in the last few weeks and since Friday alone 43 lives have been lost.
University of Oxford Professor of Immunology and Virology Astrid Iversen says the increase in the number of COVID deaths in Denmark is concerning.
“We need the elderly and the vulnerable to be offered a 4th vaccine dose. The vaccines are in the freezer. Don't let more of them be sent to the incinerator.”
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There were 8,955 COVID PCR tests taken on Monday equaling a positivity percentage of 21.80%.
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The Staten Serum Institute says rapid tests work in detecting the new BA.4 and BA.5 COVID variants. The institute tested the Flowflex and BIOSYNEX self-testing kits along with the SARS-COV-2 nasal and Rapid Antigen test card to determine that they could detect the new variants. The study concluded the self-testing kits largely available to the population could detect an infection from the new variants.
🇸🇪
The Swedish Public Health Agency updates its COVID statistics once a week every Thursday.
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The Swedish Public Health Agency reported another 13% increase in COVID cases and 55 more pandemic deaths in its latest weekly update tabled last Thursday. The 55 fatalities are a noticeable increase from the average of 33 over the three weeks previous.
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Hospitals remain under pandemic pressure in Sweden’s capital region. There are 277 infection patients across hospitals in Region Stockholm as of Tuesday. That is seven more than there were the previous week.
Chief Physician Patrik Söderberg:
“Also this week it is reported that slightly more COVID patients are being treated at the county hospital. It is a smaller increase than previous weeks, which is pleasing. But it is too early to draw any conclusions for the coming weeks from the results of a single week's reporting.”
Söderberg says despite an increase in the number of available care beds, the pressure on the system continues to grow.
“Healthcare had an increased care capacity for 160 more patients, at the emergency hospitals than in the same week last year. But the unexpected increase in the number of COVID patients this year means that there is still a high load at county hospitals. Several of the hospitals' chief physicians report that an increasing proportion of patients now have coronavirus infections as their main diagnosis, and thus that more care places are needed for COVID patients. Now we hope that the number of patients will decrease both for the sake of the patients and because it results in a somewhat less high load in the hospitals.”
The region is urging people, especially with back-to school looming and summer holidays coming to an end, to get vaccinated and to stay home if they are sick.
Region Stockholm is reporting 1,315 new infection cases in the last week. This is extremely underreported due to Sweden restricting COVID testing just to seniors in care and people being admitted to hospital.
There were 17 COVID deaths in the region over the last week, four more than the week before. The region continues to warn that Sweden is still struggling with a backlog of coronavirus deaths.
🇫🇮
Finland updates its COVID numbers once a week on Thursdays.
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The Finnish Institute for Health is unilaterally declaring that the COVID pandemic has now become an endemic. It is important to note that the COVID outbreak still meets all the requirements of a pandemic, and the World Health Organization and others health authorities have not declared the pandemic over. Quite the opposite, as they continue to warn it is continuing whether we would like it to or not.
In Finland, the health institute is taking the view that there is no stopping the coronavirus due to its rapid mutations. It says we will now see COVID waves in much the same way the flu pops up seasonally.
Health Security Department Director Mika Salminen:
“The health care system must also be adapted to this, so that the other essential care that people need does not suffer.”
Salminen says circulation of the coronavirus cannot be stopped based on current knowledge and available means. However, he adds that vaccines continue to provide a high level of protection against severe infection, hospitalization, and death.
“Globally, a very large part of the population has either been vaccinated with at least two doses, has been infected, or both. Case mortality and morbidity have decreased considerably in most countries, and the extensive closures and restrictions that limited the spread of the epidemic and that significantly hindered the functioning of societies have been largely abandoned.”
Again, this flies in the face of WHO warnings that people need to double down on social distancing, wearing a face mask, and that countries need to step up testing and sequencing.
🇩🇪
Germany reported 102,698 new infections and 171 more pandemic deaths in its Tuesday update.
It added another 2,059 hospitalizations while ICU numbers (1,468) increased (+23). As a percentage of all intensive care beds in the country coronavirus patients are using 7%.
To date, 77.8% of the total population has one vaccine dose, 76.2% have two, and 61.9% have a booster shot.
WHO/ 🦠🌎
The World Health Organization warns the number of global pandemic deaths is increasing and in some cases by a shocking amount.
WHO Technical COVID Lead, and Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, Maria Van Kerkhove says as the number of global coronavirus cases continues to increase, as it has for a 6th week, pandemic deaths are also now climbing.
“Deaths are also increasing. And deaths have been increasing for the last five weeks. This is driven by some small groups that are not well protected with the vaccine, meaning they have not been vaccinated or they have not received the full number of doses that are required for them. Almost half of the deaths that were reported in the last week were from the Americas and about 33% of those deaths were in Europe. Among the top 50 countries that have reported increases in deaths, 35 countries had more than a 100% increase in deaths reported in the last week. Three countries had more than a 1,000% increase in deaths in the last week. It is not the trends that we want to be seeing right now.”
Kerkhove says lives are being needlessly lost as basic mitigation measures like social distancing and wearing a face mask are being ignored.
“So, this virus continues to evolve. This is driven by a number of factors. It is driven by the intense mixing of individuals in the absence of mitigation measures, in the absence of wearing masks and distancing. It doesn’t mean you can’t live your life, but we want people to do it a little bit safer.”
🇨🇦
COVID hospitalizations continue to mount across Canada. In the week ending July 25, the total number of hospital beds used by pandemic patients increased from 4,804 to 5,225. Looking at general admissions, there were 390 more coronavirus patients in that week. The number of severe infections requiring intensive care also increased by 31 patients to 254. While the number of people on a ventilator rose to 99, an increase of 15.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reported 32,892 new coronavirus infections in its latest weekly report, while the country suffered another 253 pandemic deaths.
🇺🇸/ 🦠💉
The United States is snapping up millions of doses of updated COVID vaccines adapted to target Omicron variants. The Biden government has bought 66 million doses of Moderna’s variant specific vaccine at a price tag of $1.74 billion. Back in June, the U.S. also bought 105 million doses of the updated Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. In both cases, the new vaccine doses are expected to be delivered over the coming fall and winter.
The US intends to purchase a total of 300 million doses each from Pfizer and Moderna, but that requires increased funding from Congress.
🦠Monkeypox🦠
WHO
The World Health Organization has declared that the monkeypox outbreak is a global health crisis. As of August 1, there are 23,620 confirmed infection cases across 80 countries. The outbreak is still centered in Europe, where Spain has recorded its first two monkeypox deaths in the last week. But case counts are growing in other countries, including over 5,000 infections in the United States. In Canada, there are 803 monkeypox cases so far.
In declaring the global health crisis, the WHO noted monkeypox cases are appearing in a large number of countries where outbreaks of the virus have never been seen before. It says this is due to the transmission of the virus being “not fully understood.”
It also noted that the outbreak was “an extraordinary event that poses a risk to public health in other countries through international spread, and which may require coordinated international action.”
🇩🇰
The Danish Staten Serum Institute says the declaration that the monkeypox outbreak is a global health crisis doesn’t mean any immediate changes. The SSI says since the first infection was confirmed in Denmark on May 23, it has put robust systems in place to monitor for the virus, diagnose infections, treat patients, and vaccinate vulnerable populations.
The SSI says genome sequencing shows that cases in Denmark all have the West African strain of the virus that is behind the global outbreak. It says so far there have not been any monkeypox sub-variants detected.
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The Danish National Health Board is launching an information campaign to increase awareness and better inform people, especially those most at risk, about the monkeypox outbreak.
The authority says there are now at least 99 confirmed monkeypox cases in Denmark. The agency says it is working with a number of organizations on a communications effort to help contain the outbreak. Messaging will include advice to infected people so they don’t infect others, what to do if you are infected, and if you have been in close contact with an infected person.
Deputy Director Helene Probst:
“We have a very strong focus on informing about and preventing monkeypox. This week we are in close dialogue with both professionals and civil organizations to spread the information further. It is important that there is readily available information on how you can prevent infection with monkeypox yourself. There must also be information about what you and those you have been in close contact with can do if you have been infected. We are simultaneously developing our guidelines on how infected people can isolate themselves.”
Probst says while the outbreak began with travel-related infection spread it has now shifted to community spread across Europe, especially among gay and bisexual men.
“Most cases of infection have been seen among men who have sex with men, and therefore it is important that this group pay particular attention if they are with new partners. But it must be emphasized that monkeypox is not a disease that can only affect certain target groups. It is a disease that anyone can get if they have been in close physical contact with an infected person. If you suspect that you may be infected with monkeypox, it is important that you avoid close contact with others and contact your doctor.”
🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺 War
🇸🇪/ 🇷🇺
Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called the Russian Ambassador onto the carpet over a social media post made by the Russian embassy. It wrote that a Swedish soldier who was killed while fighting for Ukraine "got what he deserved".
This as another Swedish citizen, has reportedly been arrested along with three British citizens and a Croatian man among the Ukrainian who held out at the Azov steel mill in a gutsy and excruciating-months-long-stand-off with Russian forces. The four have been accused of being mercenaries and will be tried in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The Swede in custody has denied the accusations.
Sweden’s Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement reported by Aftonbladet.
“We have information about a Swedish citizen deprived of his liberty and are working to clarify this information. The current circumstances in Ukraine make that work more difficult.”
Previously, two Britons and a Moroccan man were sentenced to death in a similar case.
🇩🇰/ 🇺🇦
Next week, Denmark will host a donor conference to provide further military support for Ukraine. Countries will gather in Copenhagen on August 11, to discuss new measures to send more weapons to Ukraine, look at ways to train more Ukrainian troops, and help with things like clearing mines.
Danish Defense Minister Morten Bødskov
“Putin must not win. That is why the coalition is now strengthening its support for Ukraine's struggle for freedom. Denmark plays an active role here. I look forward to welcoming a number of colleagues to Copenhagen on August 11, for the donor conference #CopenhagenUkraine2022, where the participating countries will discuss the possibilities for joint financing of long-term concrete weapon donations, training of the Ukrainian defense, and demining.”
🇸🇪 🇫🇮/ NATO
20 down and ten to go. Montenegro is the latest NATO member state to ratify Sweden and Finland’s applications for full NATO membership. All 30 member states must approve the applications for the two Scandinavian nations to officially enter the military alliance. Turkey continues to be the main hold out as it maintains efforts to try and leverage the situation for its own ends.
🇩🇰/ 🇷🇺
Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jeppe Kofod says nuclear weapons are necessary as a deterrent to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a speech in New York at United Nations headquarters, Kofod said in a perfect world there would be no nuclear weapons, but right now they are necessary to keep an aggressive Russia at bay.
“It is the case that we want a world without nuclear weapons. But as long as, for example, Putin threatens to use the weapon against us, we have to have them as a deterrent.”
He also called for the world’s nuclear powers to build trust and have greater openness about the nuclear arms each country has.
🇩🇪/ 🇷🇺
Russia continues to turn off gas taps to Europe in an effort to weaponize its energy exports and bludgeon Europe into submission. Germany is one of the hardest hit EU nations.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner spoke to the newspaper Bild am Sonntag to warn that the country is facing a significant challenge.
“We have to work to avoid an electricity crisis on top of the gas crisis. Gas should not be used for the production of electricity anymore, as is still the case.”
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As the energy crisis grows in Germany, its efforts to find energy savings have hit a dead end. The Chair of the German Crematorium Consortium, Svend-Jörk Sobolewski, is pushing back, saying while the state pushes for energy savings, it’s cannot turn off death. Speaking to Reuters, Sobolewski says any gas rationing cannot be applied to crematoriums because they simply cannot function. According to the German Undertakers' Association, about 750,000 of the approximately one-million people who die in Germany each year are cremated. The association says efforts are underway to switch crematoriums from gas to electricity.
The German government is urging a energy savings as Russia turns off the taps. It is turning down heat in public buildings, turning off lights on public facades, and reducing hot water use in public showers to try and save energy.
🇱🇻/ 🇷🇺
Latvia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs says it now time to call a spade a spade and for the European Union to ban tourist visas for all Russians.
“The EU must consider Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. I reiterate a proposal to impose an EU tourist visa ban for Russian citizens.”
Latvia recently suspended a deal with Russia on the facilitated border crossing for the Russians living in border communities.
🇨🇦/ 🇷🇺
Canada has tabled more sanctions against Russia over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The latest batch of sanctions directly targets members of a Russian military unit, the Russian Army’s 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade, accused of massacring civilians in Bucha, Ukraine. In all, 43 individuals and 17 entities were added to the sanctions list on Tuesday.
🇨🇦 🇺🇸/ 🇷🇺
Canada is also being pressured to declare that Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism. Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution calling on the Biden government to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Formal legislation to the same effect is also being drafted in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ukrainian Canadian Congress CEO Ihor Michalchyshyn has, in light of the American moves, put pen to paper to also urge that Canada follow suit.