The Evening Report - Mar 22
Europe steps closer to becoming a global military force.
🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺 War
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The European Union has taken a big step towards a new, or greatly enhanced, common defense policy. Latvia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs tweeted on Monday that the “Strategic Compass” has been agreed to by EU officials. He adds that this will make the European Union “a real geopolitical security and defense player.” In a press release, the European Council said the agreement will significantly beef up Europe’s common defense includes the formation of a 5,000-member-strong rapid response force.
🇪🇺/ 🇩🇰
Denmark’s Defense Minister says Russian President Vladimir Putin has badly miscalculated. Morten Bodskøv says Putin had banked on the European Union and NATO being split on how to react to the invasion of Ukraine. Bodskøv says the opposite has happened with unprecedented unity, EU countries radically scaling up defense spending, ironclad support for Ukraine, and now a new common defenses pact across the EU.
“It must set the direction for defense and security policy in the future, so that new threats can be better dealt with. The EU must take responsibility for its own security, and here Denmark can contribute and make a difference. Now Denmark must be fully involved.”
The support for the European common defense pact, and Denmark’s role in it, was echoed by Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Jeppe Kofod.
In June, Denmark will hold a national referendum on whether to end years of military sovereignty and join the EU’s common defense policy.
🇸🇪/ 🇷🇺
The Swedish Dockworkers Union has served notice it will enact a nationwide blockade against all Russia ships and cargo.
“The Swedish Dockworkers Union has given notice to the employers’ organization Ports of Sweden about upcoming industrial action against ships going to and from Russia as well as Russian cargo in all Swedish ports. The solidarity action will be carried out to support dockworkers and the suffering working class in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion.”
Dockworkers in Sweden will not work on or handle any ships going to or from Russia, any vessel registered as Russian, and any ship carrying Russia import and export cargo.
🇸🇪 🇫🇮
The winds of change continue to blow in Sweden and Finland. While both countries are technically neutral and not members of NATO, they have been drawing closer and closer to the alliance since Russia invaded Ukraine. Both Sweden and Finland have been included in NATO meetings in response to Russia’s aggression and now both are participating in the NATO ‘Cold Response’ military exercise in Norway.
Sweden has contributed about 1,600 troops and Finland 700. The two countries will form a joint brigade killing two birds with one stone. Taking part in exercises of mutual defense with NATO-allied countries and working together as Nordic neighbours sharing common security interests. Sweden has also sent fighter jets to participate.
Joining NATO, a once contentious issue in both countries, has seen a sharp swing in support since Russia’s invasion and war crimes in Ukraine. Public opinion polls show a clear majority in support, and in both Sweden and Finland it has become a political issue, with opposition parties, to varying degrees, throwing their support behind joining NATO.
🇫🇮
There has been a significant jump in support for taking up arms and fighting for Finland should the country be attacked. A Helsingin Sanomat poll found 82% of Finns now believe conscripts should take up arms and defend the country. That is up 15 percentage points since the last poll in January.
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The war in Ukraine is being felt in Finland’s construction sector. Supply chain woes, diminishing supply of building materials, and an exodus of Ukrainian workers who have returned home to fight, have all contributed to a significant impact, according to business daily Kauppalehti. The cost of steel, aluminum, glass, and hardwood are all being driven up due in some part to Finland’s reliance on Russia for materials and products.
🇨🇦
Another plane load of military equipment from Canada bound for the NATO eastern flank arrived in Latvia this week. This was one of the first shipments of Canadian M777 howitzers, along with TAPV armoured vehicles, and other equipment. The alliance continues to bulk up its defensive lines along the border with Russia and the Baltic countries.
Picture courtesy of the NATO Battle Group Latvia/Twitter
🦠Pandemic🦠
🇩🇰
Denmark’s Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says the COVID contact rate (reinfection rate or R0) remains at 0.7 for a second week in a row and five straight weeks of being 0.8 or under. Heunicke says this indicates a continued declining epidemic. However, he again emphasizes that the R0 is uncertain as testing numbers drop and the true extent of COVID infections becomes more and more of an unknown.
Heunicke says COVID wastewater testing, a much more reliable pandemic barometer, shows declining coronavirus incidence rates in all Danish municipalities, with the exception of Region Sjælland, where he says there was a small increase in virus activity.
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In Denmark, COVID hospitalizations (1,347) dropped (-51) while the number of severe infections in an ICU (27) crept up (+3) and of those the number on a ventilator (10) remains unchanged. #COVID admissions to a psych ward (369) declined (-16).
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Denmark reported 7,401 COVID infections (underreported), including 409 reinfections, and 30 more coronavirus deaths in the last day. Something worth keeping an eye on is that daily infection numbers, despite drastic drops in testing, have increased over the last few days.
Yesterday, there were 35,269 COVID tests taken equaling a positivity percentage of 20.98%.
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The Omicron variant wave has ripped through the Danish population since it arrived in November of last year. The Staten Serum Institut has released the latest findings from its testing partnership with the Danish Blood Bank. Blood donations from weeks 7 through 9 indicate 70% of the population has had a COVID infection in the last four months.
Aarhus University Hospital Professor Christian Erikstrup:
“The incidence of antibodies has again increased dramatically over the last two weeks. As fewer people are now being tested for COVID with antigen or PCR testing, we are pleased to be able to follow the development in the infection incidence rate with this study over the next few weeks.”
In the last testing round, 5,771 people between the ages of 17 and 72 who donated blood were screened for COVID antibodies. In total, 51% came positive for coronavirus antibodies. That is a 17 percentage point increase from the blood testing results from the two week period before.
“The figures confirm what we also see from our PCR-based monitoring: That many have been infected with COVID in recent months. As we look into the future, the many infections mean that the basic immunity that we have built up with vaccines is being further strengthened. That is the explanation for the decline in infection that we are seeing at present. Although we must expect that coronavirus will continue to mutate over time, increased immunity will help us as a society, so that we are affected more mildly.”
Breaking down the results by region, the SSI says the proportion of infection cases is highest in Region Nordjylland, where 77% of the population is estimated to have had a coronavirus infection. That is followed by Region Sjælland with 65%.
The institute cautions that because these are projections based on screening blood tests of just a certain section of the adult population, the results “are subject to considerable uncertainty.”
The COVID monitoring partnership between the SSI and the Danish Blood Bank will continue until at least the end of the spring.
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On the vaccination front, the inoculation effort continues its sluggish pace with just 553 booster doses administered yesterday.
To date, 82.3% of the total population have one vaccine dose, 80.8% have two, and 61.4% have a booster dose.
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Comeback Copenhagen 2023. That is the name of a new plan to reinvigorate tourism in the Danish capital. The plan is a joint effort between the city, the Danish government, and the tourism organization Wonderful Copenhagen. DKK 68 million is being thrown into the pot to fund the plan, which will focus on four main pillars growth, transition, local value, and sustainability.
Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen:
“COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions have inflicted bloody losses on Copenhagen's tourism industry. Many of our companies are still on their knees. That is why I am glad that with the new joint plan, we are giving the industry a much-needed boost. At the same time, we pave the way for getting tourists back to the city in a sustainable way, so that we can continue the green development of our city and preserve everyday life in all of Copenhagen's neighborhoods.”
The plan calls for “extensive extraordinary” marketing of Copenhagen, including promoting tourism across the region. Strengthening the capital as an international cultural destination, improving local attractions, and, among other things, initiatives to promote more sustainable tourism.
Before the pandemic struck the tourism sector in Copenhagen generated DKK 53 billion and fueled some 62,000 full time jobs.
🇸🇪
There will be no COVID numbers from Sweden until Thursday. As of this week, the Swedish Public Health Agency has moved to a once-a-week reporting model as the country continues its strategy of trying to ignore the pandemic into submission.
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Sweden’s capital region continues to see a slow but steady improvement as COVID numbers ease. Region Stockholm says there are 264 coronavirus patients in hospital, 44 fewer than there were one week ago. Of those, 12 are in intensive care.
Chief Physician Johan Bratt:
“There is a very slow decrease in patients in healthcare with COVID. It is far too early to believe and act as if the pandemic is over. This applies especially to those who have not been vaccinated yet and thus have a significantly higher risk of suffering from a serious infection compared with those who have been vaccinated.”
Brat says the region is administering about 30,000 vaccinations each week.
The region is reporting 1,733 confirmed corona infections. This is very underreported due to the fact Sweden restricts the general public from COVID testing.
It also recorded another 25 coronavirus deaths in the last week. The region adds that there continues to be a backlog in reporting pandemic fatalities.
🇳🇴
In Norway, COVID hospitalizations (467) are down (-13) while the number of severely infected people in an ICU (50) dipped (-4) and of those the number on a ventilator (22) inched up (+2).
Norge added 4,302 infections and had 170 more corona deaths.
To date, 80.3% of Norwegians 12yo+ have one dose, 74.7% have two, and 53.9% have a booster
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Norway’s King Harald has tested positive for COVID. In a press release, the Royal Family says the 85 year old monarch has mild symptoms and will be stepping away from his Royal duties for a few days to recover. Crown Prince Haakan will step in and take over the king’s commitments for the next few days.
🇫🇮
The Finnish Institute for Health is dealing with a technical issue that is impacting today’s COVID reporting. It has registered just 207 new infections and had no new pandemic deaths since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (953) are unchanged.
So far, 80.1% of the total population has one dose, 76.5% have two, and 50.8% have a booster. The chart below displays vaccinations by age and dose.
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Finnish health and vaccine experts met this week to discuss whether to begin a fourth round of vaccinations, or not. Currently, the Finnish Institute for Health only recommends a second booster dose for people who have severely compromised immune systems. A final decision has yet to be announced.
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After three weeks of declining numbers, COVID infections are increasing again in Finland’s Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district.
Chief Physician, and head of the infectious diseases department, Asko Järvinen spoke to Hufvudstadsbladet:
“I'm not worried about running out of intensive care beds. I'm more concerned about older people who haven't been vaccinated becoming seriously infected.”
Järvinen estimates that half of the hospital districts population has had a coronavirus infection.
🇩🇪
Germany has added 222,080 infections while suffering another 264 virus deaths since yesterday’s update.
It added 1,813 more COVID hospitalizations, while the number of pandemic patients in an ICU (2,347) jumped (+75). As a percentage of all adult intensive care beds in the country, coronavirus patients take up 10.8%.
So far, 76.5% of the population has one dose, 75.8% have two doses, and 58.3% have a booster dose.
WHO🦠
WHO Europe director Hans Kluge, speaking at a press conference in Moldova, said that COVID numbers are rising in 18 of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region.
“The countries where we see a particular increase are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy, and Germany”.
Kluge laid the blame for the resurgence of coronavirus cases on the BA.2 variant and what he said were some counties that too “brutally” lifted COVID restrictions and are now suffering the consequences.
🇬🇧🦠
In the United Kingdom infection numbers, COVID fatalities, and pandemic hospitalizations are all increasing again.
🇨🇦
COVID hospitalizations continue to ease across Canada. The total number of hospital beds used by a coronavirus patient continues to decline, dropping from 4,648 beds to 4,177 in the second week of March. General hospital admissions fell to 4,177 in the same week, a drop of 401. The number of people with severe infections requiring intensive care declined to 435, down from 505 in the previous week. The trend continued, with the number of people on a ventilator falling by 43, to 202.
On Monday, Canada added 2,797 infections (underreported) while losing another 25 lives to coronavirus.
The national positivity percentage over the last seven days is 13.8%.
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So far the Canadian vaccination effort has administered 32,293,353 1st vaccine doses (84.46% of the total population) while 31,106,630 (81.35%) have two doses, and of those 17,998,095 are fully vaccinated with three doses.
