The Evening Report - Jan 12
Denmark feels the end is nigh as it begins to phase out COVID restrictions
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Despite soaring infection numbers, Danish healthcare officials seem to be setting the stage for a sooner rather than later return to normal life. In a press conference on Wednesday, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says the curves are flattening out.
“This applies to both infections and hospitalizations. We pay special attention to intensive care patients, and we have got a really good handle on the situation. This is in sharp contrast to other countries. Many countries are in the process of closing down; we have put ourselves in a situation where it is not necessary.”
Heunicke says a careful step-by step reopening will help navigate a return to near normal while ensuring the healthcare system does not become overwhelmed.
The Director of the Danish National Health Board also had an it is almost over tone when addressing reporters. Søren Brostøm says the last two years have been a “wild roller coaster ride” emotionally, professionally, and politically. A ride, he says, that was repeated again when the Omicron variant arrived.
“Not more than a month ago, we got a new variant and had to impose restrictions again. We had otherwise made plans to get through the winter with the Delta variant. Now we stand again, relatively soon after, ready to lift restrictions.”
Brostrøm says the health authorities will begin to pull away from strict policing of the pandemic and imposing rules to manage it. He used Christmas as an example as people wanted strict instructions on how to conduct the holiday traditions with COVID in mind. Brostrøm says those days with “that kind of interference” are coming to an end.
“Because we know people out there have responsibility. But it also means that you in the community yourself have to take on the discussion and debate, and it can create division. And someone will say that we should have opted for natural immunity and not vaccines. But we could not be here today and be able to ease these measures if we had not rolled out vaccines and if we did not have this very high vaccine coverage that we have.”
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Denmark will extend some COVID restrictions until at least the end of the month while also easing others. Nightlife venues will remain closed and existing restrictions on alcohol sales and restaurant operating hours will remain in place.
However, movie cinemas, concert venues, conference centers, theatres, indoor sports requiring tickets, evening schools, and cultural centers all can reopen as of January 16. There will likely be mask requirements, and a coronapas will have to be shown for entry.
Also getting a green-light from the commission to reopen are højskoler, outdoor sporting events, aquariums, art galleries, activity centers, amusement parks, and zoos. In all cases, masks would be required as well as a coronapas mandate for entry.
While the Epidemic Commission has recommended a cap of 350 attendees for cultural events, the government is pushing to raise the ceiling to 500. The suggestion must be approved by an all-party committee.
Minister of Culture Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen:
“This is a small adjustment in relation to the recommendations, but it has a very large effect on the industry. It is a choice where we have deviated a bit in return for a significantly greater opportunity for cultural life to have the opening we are so happy about.”
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People in Denmark are not supportive of any let-her-rip COVID strategy according to the latest assessment of the public mood from the HOPE project. Political Science Professor, and project lead, Michael Bang Petersen says only 22% support lifting all restrictions and living with an unleashed coronavirus pandemic. A majority are in favour of wide ranging infection control measures, while others are willing to suffer high infection numbers as long as hospitals are not overwhelmed.
Petersen says there is support for COVID restrictions, that include the use of the coronapas and the total closure of nightlife venues.
“The declining concern does not mean that people are ready to let go of the infection. You easily get that impression when you follow the debates on social media. But this is yet another reminder that those who speak loudly on social media are rarely representative of the population.”
The HOPE project has been measuring public mood in Denmark during the pandemic and assessing, support, or not, for government measures taken along the way.
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Keep schools open. That is what the Danish School Administrators Association is saying after surveying members across the country. The response back was unequivocal support for maintaining the rhythm of the school day so kids can keep learning and maintain some semblance of normalcy in their everyday lives. Administrators took the stance that closing a school due to COVID should be an absolute last resort.
Association Chair Dorte Andreas:
“School administrators are very aware of the fact that the physical community in the school has a great impact on students well-being both academically and socially. That has always been important, but it is especially evident at the moment.”
While the association’s membership is opposed to school closures, they are open to other infections control measures including closing classrooms. In fact, the Skolelederforeningen says they would support sending students home with a lower infection threshold in classrooms that are currently in place.
“It is good that it is the National Board of Health that has the final decision and the final responsibility. But if the school experiences a major outbreak in a single class or two, school administrators would like to have the opportunity to discuss with the health authorities whether they can send a class home a lot sooner to break the chain of infection and thus shorten an outbreak.”
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Dansk Industri is applauding the easing of restrictions, but at the same time is also pushing for more changes.
Director Emil Fannikke Kiær:
“Both employees and employers across the business community need to return to offices, factories, and other workplaces.”
DI wants the coronapas suspension after a COVID infection to last seven days, in line with isolation requirements.
“It is illogical that you are considered infection-free after seven days in isolation without symptoms, while your coronapas only returns to green after 14 days.”
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Denmark is reporting 24,343 COVID infections, including 1,614 reinfections, and 25 more coronavirus deaths in the last day.
Yesterday, there were 441,525 total corona tests, of which 201,715 were PCR tests equaling a positivity percentage of 12.06%.
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The Omicron variant is king in Denmark, but the Delta strain is still making its presence felt. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says the Omicron now accounts for 96% of all positive sequenced tests.
Danish National Health Board Director Søren Brostrøm says they can now say with confidence the new variant causes less severe illness. Brostrøm says for the most severely sick, the Omicron variant is likely not to blame. He says this is good news and a major part of the reason “we can soon return to a normal society.”
“If you are infected with Omicron and come to the hospital, there is a high probability that you are less ill than if you have Delta.”
In fact, Staten Serum Institut Director Henrik Ullum says the vast majority of coronavirus patients in an ICU have the Delta variant not Omicron. Ullum adds a majority of people in intensive care are also not vaccinated.
“So when you are not vaccinated, you have a much higher risk of being admitted to intensive care.”
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COVID hospitalizations (751) inched downward (-3) while the number of infected people in a ICU (73) and of those the number on a ventilator (46) are both unchanged. The number of #coronavirus patients admitted to a psychiatric ward (138) crept up (+2).
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Denmark is beginning a fourth round of vaccinations. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says due to the Omicron variant’s ability to evade vaccine protection people who are at high risk or are in vulnerable populations will need a 4th dose. A “focused group of people who are most at risk” will begin receiving a fourth vaccine dose this week and the start of next week. The group will include immunocompromised individuals, cancer patients, and arthritis patients. Health officials are also still co side ring whether a fourth dose should also go to nursing home residents and other seniors.
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On the vaccination front, there were 37,790 total inoculations yesterday, of which most, 28,093, were booster doses.
So far, 82.2% of the total population has one vaccine dose, 79.6% have two, and 54.6% have a booster shot.
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More coronapas changes have been confirmed. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says a majority of parties on the Epidemic Committee have agreed to shorten the length of immunity after a second dose. A coronapas will only be valid for five months after a second dose. To ensure the coronapas remain valid people will have to get a booster dose.
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Denmark has donated almost half a million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Lebanon. 429,600 vaccine doses arrived in the country on Wednesday night.
Health Minister Magnus Heunicke:
“Denmark is in the fortunate situation that we have more Moderna vaccines in stock than we need, and therefore the only right thing to do is to send them out to where they can be of benefit.”
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Sweden added 21,939 infections and another 31 corona deaths since yesterday’s update.
To date, 86.1% of the population 12 years old and older have one vaccine dose, 82.4% have two, and of those who are 18 years old and older 33.7% have a booster dose.
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The Swedish Public Health Agency is slightly shortening the interval between a 2nd and 3rd vaccine dose for most of the population. Everyone from 18 to 64 years old can now get a booster shot five months after a 2nd dose, down from the previous interval of six months.
State Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell:
“The purpose of the shorter time interval is for more people to be able to be vaccinated earlier. The regions should not have to stand around with unused capacity.”
The agency recommends that people 50 years old and older and those in high risk or vulnerable populations be given priority access under the shortened timeline.
Currently, Sweden only recommends people 18 years old and older have access to booster shots.
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In a bid to increase testing capacity, a new method of COVID self-testing is now online in Southern Sweden. The tests will be available at drop-off points in Malmö, Lund, and, Helsingborg in Region Skåne. People need to book the test online, pick it up, register the test by scanning the QR code, log in using their Swedish BankID, take the test, and then drop it off to be analyzed for a result back at the drop-off point.
Testing Manager Richard Davidsson:
“The new tests increase the Scanian test capacity by 15,500 to a total of approximately 59,500 available tests every week. The new type of test is a much-needed supplement because the current spread of infection means that the pressure on self-testing has been far greater than previously anticipated.”
The region says the self-tests need to be dropped off, ideally on the same day they are picked up, but at latest by the next day. Drop-off points will be open from 8:30 to 4:00.
The region says if this proves to be successful capacity will be increased and more drop-off locations opened.
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In Region Skåne, people with certain residency status but who do not have a Swedish social security number can now get a vaccine passport. They would have to be vaccinated in Sweden and have the clinic where they got their shots pass the information on to the e-health authority, who would then issue a COVID certificate to the person via registered mail.
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Norway has added a record high 10,703 infections and 23 more pandemic deaths in the last 24 hours.
COVID hospitalizations (264) are down (-13) while the number of infected people in an ICU (80) also dipped (-5).
So far, 79.7% of Norwegians 12 years old and older have one vaccine dose, 73.2% have two, and 37% have a booster dose.
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Unvaccinated people who have been infected with COVID have a higher chance of struggling with an array of brain and respiratory issues long after recovery. That is the conclusion of a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The study published on medRxiv found people can have virus symptoms a year after being infected, symptoms those who have avoided the virus do not have.
The study found that symptoms included brain fog, memory loss, dizziness, and fatigue. Reported respiratory issues included coughing and shortness of breath.
Project Manager Dr. Lill Trogstad says the unanswered question is what impacts, if any, there are for people who have been infected after being vaccinated.
“Most were still unvaccinated when we collected this data, so so far we have not looked at late-onset ailments in people who became infected after they had been vaccinated. Vaccination had started shortly before we collected this data; therefore we have not included vaccinated participants in this study.”
The NIPH has been following 70,000 adults throughout the pandemic and asking them to answer questions every two weeks. In March of 2021, all study participants were questioned about symptoms, relevant ailments, how long they lasted, and if they were new since being infected. Researchers also took into account the person’s gender, age, if they had underlying health issues, and how serious their COVID infection was.
Of the 70,000 participants, the study found 56% reported at least one new symptom in the 12 months after having the coronavirus and recovering. Of those, 17.4% reported fatigue, 16.9% reported having taste and smell issues a year later, and 18.2% suffered from some kind of memory loss. The study found a larger number of women were impacted than men.
The Norwegian study also found increased rates of depression that increased with the severity of the infection itself. Researchers say this doesn’t appear to be a linked symptom of being infected, but rather a consequence of the anxiety of struggling with a severe illness and possibly hospitalization.
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Finland registered 8,661 infections and 22 more virus deaths in the last day.
COVID hospitalizations (700) continue to surge (+80).
To date, 77.5% of the total population have one vaccine dose, 74.2% have two, and 29% have a booster shot.
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The Finnish Institute for Health says while the Omicron variant is evading vaccine protection against symptomatic infection to a much greater degree than previous variants, vaccines are still key in preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
The institute says protection against infection from the Omicron strain falls to as low as 20% three to four months after a second dose. A booster shot kicks up that protection to a strong 60 to 70%. The agency says having a recent infection also offers strong immunity of 88% against infection from most variants, but Omicron even chips that down to around 56%.
Chief Physician Hanna Nohynek:
“With the state of things caused by the Omicron variant, both vaccinated people and people who have previously had the coronavirus will have a high number of mild cases. According to preliminary studies, however, the illness caused by Omicron results in 60% less severe cases irrespective of the vaccines received. Vaccinations still reduce the risk of serious coronavirus disease.”
The institute is urging people to get vaccinated and if they have two doses to go and get boosted with a 3rd in order to protect themselves and help safeguard the hospital system.
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Germany’s Health Minister Dr. Karl Lauterbach says they have purchased five million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from Romania where it “was not needed.” The European Union also signed off on the purchase. He says the doses will be used as booster shots for kids 12 to 17 years old.
The European Medical Association has yet to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use in Europe as booster doses for that age group. It is currently assessing an application from the vaccine maker to extend use of its COVID vaccine as a booster for 16 to 17 year olds. It has not yet submitted an application seeking the same approval for 12 to 15 year olds.
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In Germany, a plane has been converted into a vaccination center, especially for children 5 to 11 years old to create a novelty experience with the hope of alleviating any stress among children about getting a needle.
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Has the Omicron wave peaked in the United Kingdom? The country registered a record-high 218,376 COVID cases on January 4, and infections, while still high, seem to be easing slightly. Today the UK reported 129,587 new infections and another 398 deaths. Over the last seven days, positive test results have begun to trend downward even as hospitalizations and fatalities continue to rise.
University of East Anglia Professor Paul Hunter says the reason may be that there is simply no one left to infect.
“We see a definite race in terms of the number of infected, but I want to see the number fall further before we know if the same thing that happened in South Africa will happen here.”
Hunter says there are a number of differences between the UK and South Africa, including Britain’s older population, which spends more time indoors, along with a lack of restrictions to mitigate infection spread.
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Canada reported 28,827 COVID infections on Tuesday while losing another 114 lives to the coronavirus.
Nationally, the positivity percentage is 27.5%.
In the week running from December 27 until January 3 the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals across Canada (4,106) increased (+2,187) while the number of infected people needing intensive care (640) also rose (+157) and of those the number on a ventilator (274) also jumped (+35).
The Canadian vaccination campaign has so far administered 31,546,495 1st vaccine doses (82.50% of the total population) while 29,556,415 people (77.30%) have two doses, and of those 10,695,590 have had a booster dose.
Due to an array of testing issues we are now focusing on hospital numbers and the positivity percentage for the provinces as a more accurate assessment of the pandemic situation.
In Ontario Wednesday, a new record high number of hospitalizations was recorded (3,488) as numbers kept increasing (+228) the number of corona patients in an ICU (505) also climbed (+28). The province also saw another 46 deaths. The positivity percentage is 20.3%.
Another record high for Quebec hospitalizations (2,877) as numbers kept climbing (+135) and record ICU numbers (263) as they also rose (+8). There were also another 52 deaths. The province has a positivity percentage of 26.5%.
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia has 60 hospitalizations, an increase of 12, while there are five people in an ICU. New Brunswick has a record high 94 people in hospital, an increase of six, while there are 10 people in intensive care, which is down four. The province has a positivity percentage of 17.6%.
Manitoba saw hospitalizations (454) jump (+36) to a new pandemic record high, while ICU numbers (45) also edged upward (+4). The province has a positivity percentage of 47.2%.
Hospitalizations in Saskatchewan were static (121) while ICU numbers (9) inched downward (-1). The province has a positivity percentage of 30%.
Alberta hospitalizations (748) are up (+40) while ICU numbers (82) crept upward (+2). There were 15 more deaths. The positivity percentage is 38.1%. For what it is worth, the province saw a record 6,789 infections, which is likely way underreported.
In B.C. hospitalizations (500) continued to climb (+33) while ICU numbers (102) leapt upward (+64). There were six new deaths.