The Evening Report - Jan 6
Danish health officials keeping a close eye on schools as overall infections soar
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A new report from the Staten Serum Institut has found that the proportion of people hospitalized due to COVID has fallen slightly, while admissions for other non-pandemic reasons have crept upward. The report examined epidemic data from October to December to determine there had been a 2% decline in coronavirus admissions. Hospitalizations for other non-COVID reasons rose by 1%.
The SSI also found age played a key role when it came to being hospitalized due to a COVID infection, with admissions highest among those 60 years old and older.
Infection activity increased sharply in Denmark in the last few weeks of December, with cases rising by 56% in week 51. In the same week, hospitalizations rose by 37%.
Ward Doctor Rebecca Legarth:
“The infection is still at its highest level during the entire COVID epidemic. And we estimate that it is now powered solely by the Omicron variant. The number of admissions is not increasing with the same growth as the number of infections. But the level of new admissions and the total number of admissions are approaching the level we had at the end of January last year.”
According to the report sending children home for an early Christmas break had a clear impact. Before schools closed infection activity had been highest among 6 to 11 year olds for a number of weeks. Since the children were sent home, it is now those 20 to 24 years old who are seeing the brunt of coronavirus cases. The SSI says in the last week of December the COVID incidence rate among 20 to 24 year olds was 3,399 per 100,000. That is the highest incidence rate in that age group at any time during the pandemic to date.
“It is clear that the infection among the 6 to 11 year olds has dropped significantly after the children were sent home before Christmas. We will follow infection activity closely in this group now that they have physically returned to school.”
The institut also found infection numbers “increased sharply” in nursing homes in the last two weeks of December. COVID infections among nursing home residents more than tripled in the last week of December compared to the week prior. There were also 12 coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes in the last week of December.
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Denmark is reporting 25,995 COVID infections, including 2,027 reinfections, and 11 more coronavirus deaths in the last day.
Yesterday there were 438,354 corona tests taken, of which 223,251 were PCR tests equaling a positivity percentage of 11.64%.
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The five Danish regions have cleared the decks at all their hospitals to focus on the Omicron-driven infection wave sweeping across Denmark. They have also informed the Danish National Health Board of plans to rapidly increase capacity should hospital admissions surge to even higher numbers.
Sundhedsstyrelsen is anticipating that hospitals will continue to face significant pressure for the rest of this month and into February.
Deputy Director Helene Bilsted Probst:
“We expect that the number of COVID admissions will increase in the coming weeks, and at the same time we can expect that other diseases, such as influenza, will also cause more admissions. We are in close dialogue with the regions to ensure the necessary capacity is there, and we believe that the plans that the regions have made to be able to scale up capacity according to the need are solid. We are seeing an incipient spread of infection due to the Omicron variant, especially among those over 65, and it will probably be a couple of weeks before we know if this means that there will be more admissions in those age groups. So we are following developments closely.”
Patient rights to expedient care have already been suspended by the Danish parliament as hospitals postpone all non-urgent treatments and surgeries have been postponed. But while concerns have been raised about a growing backlog of procedures, the healthcare board says there have been fewer patients impacted than initially thought.
“The hospitals have succeeded in planning their operations so that the number of postponed treatments we have seen so far are smaller than is usually the case during a summer holiday period, when staff take their holidays. This is very positive, and it means that the regions have the opportunity to secure additional capacity when needed.”
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COVID hospitalizations (756) declined for a 2nd straight day (-28) while the number of #COVID infected people in an ICU (82) inched up (+2) and of those the number on a ventilator (47) dipped slightly (-2).
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Data from the Danish Health and Medicines Authority shows people who are unvaccinated make up the largest number of new COVID hospital admissions. The numbers in the graph below cover a 17 week period from week 35 to 52.
The same can be said for the rate of ICU admissions for infected people who are unvaccinated compared to those with one dose or more of a coronavirus vaccine.
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On the vaccination front, there were an underwhelming 60,459 total inoculations on Wednesday, with most, 46,909, being booster doses.
So far, 82% of the total population have one vaccine dose, 78.6% have two, and 51.1% have a booster shot.
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Almost 800,000 people gave themselves the gift of vaccination over the Christmas holidays. The Danish National Health Board says from December 21 until January 4 785,000 were vaccinated. 45,000 of those were people beginning the vaccination process and 31,000 were children 5 to 11 years old.
Deputy Director Helene Probst:
“Considering that it was the holidays, there were many [people]who chose to be vaccinated. We are now up to 92%of everyone over the age of 85 who has been revaccinated, and that is above our goal of 90%. At the same time, 60% of everyone over the age of 18 has now received a booster dose.”
However, vaccinations among children remain a concern, with progress moving too slowly. 193,000 children 5 to 11 years old have either been vaccinated or have an appointment booked, which equates to about 45% of the age group.
“Things are going the right way, more and more children are being vaccinated, although we wish there were even more parents and children who could make that decision a little quicker.”
Among children 12 to 15 years olds 80%, or 219,000, have either been vaccinated or scheduled an appointment.
On the booster dose campaign, the health board notes there are around 600,000 available appointments this week.
“By the end of January, more than four million people over the age of 18 will be invited for a booster shot, which corresponds to 85% of the age group.”
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Here is a further breakdown of booster doses administered by age and region in Denmark from the Danish Health and Medicines Authority.
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A second Danish kommune is extending weekly COVID self-testing to children in grade 0 despite a recommendation to the contrary from the Danish National Health Board. Yesterday, Randers Kommune announced it would offer children in grade 0 home testing kits to be used twice a week. Today TV2 is reporting that Aalborg Kommune is following suit.
Principal Mads Rune Jørgensen spoke to TV2:
“We have received a letter from KL stating that we have the opportunity to also offer parents of students in 0 grade home tests. We then set out to determine if we had the capacity for that, and we did.”
The health board did not include the youngest children in its testing recommendation over concerns it would be too much for them as they are already transitioning into primary school from daycare.
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DR is reporting that a majority of parties in the Danish parliament support tweaking immunity timelines in the coronapas. The Ministry of Health has recommended reducing the validity of a coronapas from six to five months after having a second dose or recent infection.
Danish National Health Board Deputy Director Helene Probst:
“The purpose of the corona passport is to reduce the risk of infection in situations where many people gather. We now know that the protection of the vaccines against Omikron is reduced and therefore we have recommended that the duration of the corona pass be changed so that it reflects that reality.”
The health board also wants the post vaccination/infection coronapas suspension to be lowered to 11 days, down from the current 14.
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Drop-in vaccinations are resuming in Region Syddanmark after being suspended over the Christmas holidays. Drop-in vaccinations will be available at 14 different sites across Southern Denmark.
Executive Vice President of the Region of Southern Denmark Kurt Espersen credits pharmacies and family doctors for helping to share the vaccination load.
“I am pleased that we can once again open up for drop-in vaccination at the region's vaccination centers and at a number of other vaccination sites in the region. It will make it easier and faster to get vaccinated for those citizens who have not yet booked an appointment, or for those who come past a vaccination site, even if they have already booked an appointment later in the month. If you choose a drop-in vaccination, your booking will be automatically deleted from the system.”
The 14 sites where people can pop by and get vaccinated will open as of January 6 (today) and they are located in Odense, Svendborg, Sønderborg, Aabenraa, Kolding, Vejle, Esbjerg, and Barrels.
In addition, drop-ins will open at Carelink's four vaccination sites in Assens, Haderslev, Fredericia, Brørup, and at VaccineDanmark's two vaccination centers in Varde and Grindsted.
All the sites will close for drop-ins 30 minutes before closing.
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The Swedish Public Health Agency did not update COVID numbers today.
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There appears to have been a sharp increase in COVID hospitalizations in Sweden over the last 24 hours. News agency TT is reporting that there are 932 infected people hospitalized including those in intensive care. That is an increase of over 100 patients compared to Wednesday’s admission numbers.
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As Sweden sees record high daily infection numbers as the Omicron variant rips across the country, the Swedish Public Health agency is bracing for a surge of hospitalizations to follow. The agency notes that while the variant seems to cause less severe illness because it is so infectious, the sheer numbers alone will mean an increase in COVID patients.
Department Head Britta Björkholm warns hospital admissions are a lagging statistic. First infections spike and then hospitalizations rise a week or two later.
“Of the 61 [patients] who were admitted last week, 75% were unvaccinated. The risk is 12 times higher among the unvaccinated to need intensive care. Vaccination is the best protection against severe disease from COVID.”
Björkholm says Sweden is now being hit with an Omicron variant wave that has already rolled across Europe, driving numbers across the EU to never-before-seen heights.
“In Sweden, the incidence of 14 days is just over 1,032 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The number of cases has seen a 100% increase in Sweden in the past week alone.”
Even among vaccinated people, there is a rapid increase in the number of new cases, according to Björkholm.
“The most important thing right now to reduce the pressure on healthcare and avoid serious illness is that as many people as possible need to get vaccinated. It is also important that everyone takes the advice and recommendations that are now in place seriously and follows them as much as possible.”
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Finland registered 5,979 infections and eight more corona deaths since yesterdays update.
COVID hospitalizations (469) are unchanged day to day.
To date, 77.4% of the total population have one vaccine dose, 73.9% have two, and 23.3% have a booster dose.
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Norway added a record high 11,718 infections and had no new virus deaths in the last day.
COVID hospitalizations (295) declined (-11) while the number of infected people in an ICU (91) rose (+4).
To date, 79.5% of Norwegians 12 years old and older have one vaccine dose, 72.9% have two, and 32.2% have a booster.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has provided a breakdown of vaccination coverage.
52% of 12 to 15 years olds have at least one dose.
81% of 16 to 17 years olds have at least one dose and 34% have two.
59% of 18 to 64 year olds considered high risk or in a vulnerable population have a booster dose.
84% of those 65 years old and older have a booster dose.
25% of school staff and teachers have a booster shot.
51% of primary healthcare workers are boosted as are 66% of specialist healthcare staff.
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COVID hospitalizations eased slightly in Norway last week but unvaccinated people still made up the majority of patients being admitted according to the latest weekly assessment from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. It says there were 180 infected people admitted to hospital last week, a drop from the previous week’s 198. A similar story can be seen for those in intensive care with 34 new admissions last week, down from 51 the week before. By age group there was an increase in patients 30 to 44 years old and among those over 65. 54% of COVID hospital admissions last week were people who were unvaccinated while 43% were fully vaccinated. The NIPH says older people and those who have other risk factors make up the bulk of fully vaccinated COVID patients.
The agency says COVID infection numbers increased slightly last week with 25,972 confirmed cases. Infection activity increased the most among those 20 to 39 years old. Norway’s capital, Oslo, continues to see the most COVID activity.
There were 37 pandemic deaths in Norway last week, according to the NIPH report, a decline from the previous week’s 46. The median age for coronavirus fatalities last week was 82.
On the variant front, the health agency says Omicron numbers doubled every week in December, with the now-dominant variant spreading rapidly across Norway.
The NIPH cautions that testing fluctuations over the holidays and the widespread use of self-testing kits for healthcare workers, students, and teachers all make the numbers a little uncertain.
The institute ends its assessment with a warning for municipalities and hospitals to vaccinate as many people as possible in the next few weeks and prepare for “significant epidemic wave driven by the Omicron variant” to arrive. It also advises they brace for an influx of hospitalizations and prepare to deal with a large number of staff who will be out sick.
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Italy recorded by far its highest number of new COVID infections on Thursday, with 219,441, the first time ever in the pandemic daily cases have exceeded 200,000. There were also 198 more corona deaths.
Italy has now made COVID vaccination mandatory for everyone 50 years old and older. It will also, as of February 15, ban unvaccinated people 50 and older from being able to go to work. The mandate will be backed up with fines of up to €1,500. Italy already made vaccinations mandatory for teachers and healthcare workers and in October also mandated all employees had to show either proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to go to work.
WHO 🌍🦠
The Director General of the World Health Organization is warning against underestimating the Omicron variant. In a press conference on Thursday, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said while the variant is less severe than Delta, it should not be considered mild, especially as hospitals around the world become overwhelmed.
“While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as ‘mild. Just like previous variants; Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people. In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world.”
Dr. Tedros also called out vaccination inequity for putting us in this boat.
“Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Omicron reflect that, in part because of low vaccination rates, we’ve created the perfect conditions for the emergence of virus variants. Last week, the highest number of COVID cases were reported so far in the pandemic.”
Tedros noted global infection numbers are very underestimated due to a variety of reasons including holiday testing backlogs, underreporting, and overwhelmed or lackluster testing regimes that are not capturing the true number of infection cases.
The WHO Chief said vaccine and health inequity were the biggest global failures of 2021.
“While some countries have had enough personal protective equipment, tests and vaccines to stockpile throughout this pandemic, many countries do not have enough to meet basic baseline needs or modest targets, which no rich country would have been satisfied with. Vaccine inequity is a killer of people and jobs and it undermines a global economic recovery."
Tedros again called out wealthy nations for administering 3rd and in some cases 4th vaccine doses while the rest of the world struggles.
“At the current pace of vaccine rollout, 109 countries would miss out on fully vaccinating 70% of their populations by the start of July 2022. The essence of the disparity is that some countries are moving toward vaccinating citizens a fourth time, while others haven’t even had enough regular supply to vaccinate their health workers and those at most risk."
🇨🇦
Canada reported 39,433 COVID infections and another 69 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. Note: due to testing issues across the provinces infection numbers are likely very underreported.
The Canadian vaccination effort has so far administered 31,517,223 1st vaccine doses (82.43% of the total population) while 29,473,093 people (77.08%) have two doses, and of those, 8,926,401 people are fully vaccinated with three doses.
From now hospitalizations will be the focus as a better assessment of the pandemic across the provinces due to inaccurate case assessments due to major testing issues.
In Ontario Thursday hospitalizations rose by 198 since yesterday for a total of 2,279 COVID patients. There are also 319 people in intensive care, an increase of 31. The province has a positivity percentage of 29.2%.
Quebec reported a new hospitalization record of 1,953 COVID patients, with 203 more corona admissions since yesterday. There are 207 people in intensive care, an increase of 16.
In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick hospital admissions increased by four to 63, with 19 people in intensive care, an increase of 3. Nova Scotia has 48 people in hospital and nine in a ICU. Nova Scotia has four hospitalizations (+1). But healthcare unions are warning the system is critically strained with about 1,000 workers out sick due to infection or COVID symptoms.
Manitoba saw 11 more people hospitalized since yesterday for a total of 263, including 33 in an ICU, an increase of 3. There have been six more deaths.
There are 106 hospitalizations in Saskatchewan (+11) and there are 13 people in a ICU. The province has a positivity percentage of 22.5%.
Alberta now has 470 COVID patients with 72 in intensive care. It also saw 11 deaths.
B.C. has 317 hospitalizations (+19) with ICU numbers (83) ending down (-3).