The Evening Report - Mar 3
Russia pressures Sweden and Finland. While Denmark’s COVID wave may be easing
🇺🇦🇷🇺 War
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Moscow news agencies are reporting that the Kremlin has reportedly sent letters to the governments of Sweden and Finland demanding they provide Russia with “security guarantees” that they won’t join NATO. Sweden and Finland are both now considering NATO membership in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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The Swedish Armed Forces said that four Russian fighter jets, two Russian SU 27s and two Russian SU 24s, violated Sweden’s airspace on Wednesday. The intrusion happened just east of the strategically important island of Gotland.
The Russian fighter jets were intercepted by Swedish Air Force jets who documented the incident with pictures and escorted them out of the air space.
Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström:
“This shows that our preparedness is good. We were on site to secure territorial integrity and Sweden's borders. We have full control of the situation. In light of the current situation, we take the incident very seriously. It is an unprofessional and irresponsible action on the part of Russia.”
Sweden’s Armed Forces have been fortifying Gotland ever since Russia began building its invasion force along the Ukrainian border. The reason why is that whenever NATO conducts war games, whichever country is playing Russia takes Gotland as its first move to control the Baltic.
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Swedish furniture, appliances, and home accessories giant IKEA has closed all of its stores in Russia because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to a statement posted on its website, it has also suspended all imports and exports out of Russia and Belarus. It has also suspended all other company operations in both countries including deliveries.
The company says this will impact about 15,000 IKEA workers. It says it is providing “secured employment and income stability for the immediate future and providing support to them and their families in the region.”
The IKEA foundation has also donated €20 million (about $27 million U.S.) for humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Another €10 million each ($13.5 million U.S.) has been donated “to UNHCR, Save the Children and other organizations working in the local markets.”
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The President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, released a statement Thursday after meeting with the Commander of the Finnish Defense Forces and Parliamentary heads about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said in turbulent times it is important to remain calm. Niinistö says it is clear “our safe environment is now undergoing rapid and drastic change .” He says he understands the concerns from Finns over Russia’s aggression and he reiterated it is important to stay calm. Niinistö says Finnish authorities will continue to carefully assess both the immediate and potential security risks to Finland and react accordingly.
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There is a push underway to increase Denmark’s defense and security budget. Other countries in Europe, including Danish neighbours Sweden and Germany, have begun to not just increase military spending but take immediate steps to bolster their armed forces. Danish opposition parties have begun applying pressure on the government to increase defense spending. They say Russia’s aggression and invasion of Ukraine make strengthening the Danish Armed Forces an immediate priority.
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Denmark’s Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov will meet with his counterparts from Sweden and Great Britain on Friday. The three defense ministers will be meeting as the Joint Expeditionary Force holds military exercises based in Denmark. The JEF consists of ten Northern European and Baltic countries and is led by the United Kingdom.
Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov:
“There is a war in Europe. Rarely has it been more important to show that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies. A joint exercise like this is a very concrete and very strong signal of cooperation and solidarity. I look forward to welcoming my colleagues to Copenhagen.”
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Danish municipalities have been directed to review investment of all public funds and ensure none are being directed to Russian investments. The Interior and Housing Ministry has sent a letter to all of the kommunes advising them to review all investments. Municipalities have also been directed to review whether they are in compliance with all EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek spoke to DR:
“At the same time, I have recommended that municipalities and regions, as far as possible, liquidate any existing investments in Russian securities.”
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After announcing earlier this week it is suspending all cargo shipments in and out of Russia, with the exception of food, medicine, and humanitarian goods, Maersk is now warning of ripple impacts. The Danish shipping giant says with the European Union and United Kingdom now inspecting all cargo in and out of Russia for restricted goods, it will mean more delays in ports already struggling with backlogs. It says this will add further delays to already backed up global supply chains.
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Danish wind turbine company Vestas says it condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The company says the conflict has put its employees in the region in danger and some have been displaced along with their families. Vestas said in a statement it fears for their safety and their future.
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The Danish National Health Board and the Statens Serum Institut have packed up and sent off 1,200 vials of tetanus immunoglobulin, medicine used to prevent and treat tetanus, for use in, among other things, tetanus threat posed by wounds in battle. The request for the medicine for Ukraine was made by the World Health Organization.
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According to Forbes magazine German authorities acting under sanctions levied against Russia have seized Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov's 512-foot yacht in the northern German port city of Hamburg. The yacht is worth some $600 million U.S.
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France has seized a yacht belonging to Igor Sechin, the head of the Russian oil company Rosneft. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie says the yacht was seized in the Mediterranean coastal port of La Ciotat. The luxury yacht is worth about $115 million U.S. Sechin is considered one of the most powerful people in Russia and served as Russian President Putin’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012.
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The International Court of Justice in The Hague in the Netherlands is going to open a hearing on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The court will have to assess whether war crimes have been committed. Ukraine made the request for the court to initiate a hearing.
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Canada’s Minister of Defense Anita Anand announced Thursday a fifth package of lethal weapons is on its way to Ukrainian forces. Canada will donate up to 4,500 more rocket launchers, up to 7,500 hand grenades, and more funding that will help Ukrainian forces track Russian troop movements using modern satellite technology.
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Canada has revoked the “most favoured nation” trade designation for both Russia and Belarus. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement on Thursday. It means that an automatic 35% tariff now applies to all imports from Russia and Belarus.
🦠Pandemic🦠
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Signs are growing that Denmark’s Omicrom-driven infection wave has peaked and is now beginning to ease. The latest weekly snapshot from the Staten Serum Institut says that among the reliable indicators showing declining numbers are a dropping positivity percentage, which while still high, eased from 40% in week 7 to 36% last week. While coronavirus incidence rates are falling in all five Danish regions, wastewater monitoring and positivity percentages are dropping in four of the five.
The one region bucking the trend is North Jutland, which sports the highest COVID incidence rate per 100,000 residents (3,667), and the highest positivity percentage (42%), while it also recorded a small increase in COVID wastewater-monitored infection activity.
While infection numbers are a very unreliable pandemic barometer due to falling testing numbers and the widespread use of self-testing kits, cases numbers did drop 36% week to week.
Nationally, COVID incidence rates per 100,000 people are highest among those 50 to 59 years old (3,160) followed by those in the 60 to 69 year old age group (3,014). Incidence rates decreased in all other age groups.
Another good pandemic indicator is hospitalizations, which increased 11% last week compared to the week before. The numbers are being driven by new admissions among those 70 to 79 years old. That age group already makes up the largest numbers of admissions due to a severe infection. That is followed by those 80 to 89 years old and people 60 to 69 years of age.
The Staten Serum Institut is tracking hospital admissions because of a COVID infection and those admitted for a non-pandemic reason but with an infection. It says 50% of admissions in the first two weeks of February were directly because of a coronavirus infection. For intensive care admissions directly due to a COVID infection, it was 68% last week and 67% the week prior.
Pandemic deaths continue to rise. The SSI report says coronavirus deaths increased from 224 in week 7 to 263 lives lost last week. The agency has been reviewing the death registry and death certificates to determine how many people are being killed directly because of an infection and those who died for another reason but with a COVID infection. Last week, the institute says that in an estimated 35% of reported deaths the cause of death wasn’t COVID, but was something else.
The SSI says since the advent of the Omicron variant and the sheer saturation of infections across Denmark that over the last month the numbers of people dying with COVID but not because of it have been increasing. Since week 3, deaths due to a reason other than COVID have increased to over 60%. That said, the agency cautions that these numbers are not final as last week alone death certificates hadn’t yet been reviewed in 45% of fatalities.
The situation remains concerning among nursing home residents. Infection numbers fell slightly week to week with 2,002 last week compared to 2,302 the week before. But, deaths continue to rise, with the virus claiming the lives of 134 elderly nursing home residents, an increase from the 99 deaths the week prior.
On the variant front, the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 remains king in Denmark, making up 97% of all sequenced positive test results last week. The SSI says the BA.2_H78Y strain had a “stable proportion of cases.”
The agency is forecasting that the epidemic will continue to ease in the weeks ahead except for infection activity among seniors, which could increase, and that could mean more COVID hospitalizations.
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For the 3rd straight day, COVID hospitalizations in Denmark (1,623) dropped (-43) while the number of severe infection cases in an ICU (39) also inched down (-3) and of those on a ventilator (16) numbers remained unchanged.
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Hospitalization rates among young children in Denmark have been at the center of concern during this most recent infection wave. In a new report, the Staten Serum Institut examined the numbers and determined only a very small percentage of infected children ended up in a hospital.
The SSI examined infections among children from December 15, 2021 to February 15, 2022.
Epidemiologist Laura Espenhain:
“A total of 2,025 children from 0 to 15 years old have been admitted [to hospital]. This corresponds to 0.4% of all infected children during that period.”
The agency broke the number down even further and found the highest proportion of children who were hospitalized due to an infection were infants six months old and younger. That age group made up 21% of all child admissions.
“Here, however, one must keep in mind that this is a relatively small group, where only 2,011 infections have been detected during that period. And that there is a greater tendency for very young children to be admitted for observation because parents want to be on the safe side.”
The SSI report found about half of admissions for children under the age of 15 were directly because of an infection and they were not admitted for another non-pandemic reason. Of those hospitalized, 40% involved stays of 12 hours or less.
Looking at intensive care, since December 15, there have been 85 kids 15 years old or younger who have received intensive care but of those, only a handful were serious enough to be admitted to intensive care.
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Denmark has reported 13,378 COVID infections, including 783 reinfections, and another 44 coronavirus deaths in the last day. Numbers were even more underreported than usual on Thursday due to 18,000 corona test results missing due to a technical issue.
There were 53,727 PCR tests taken yesterday for a positivity percentage of 24.90%
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The number of travel-related infection cases remains low. Last week, the Staten Serum Institut reported 168 travelers had tested positive on arrival. That is 0.1% of all infection cases last week. The most cases were people coming from Germany (34) and Norway (34).
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On the vaccination front, statistics weren’t updated on Thursday, but in Wednesday’s update things continued to inch along. The Statens Serum Institut has made an adjustment for those who had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and then were boosted with a 2nd vaccine shot hence the -38,400 in the revaccination column.
As of Wednesday, 82.4% of the total population have had one dose, 81% have had two, and 61.1% have had a booster dose.
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Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Jeppe Kofod tested positive for COVID Tuesday night, according to a ministry press release. It says Kofod has mild symptoms and is working from home where he is isolating.
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Influenza is on the rise in Denmark, especially in Metro Copenhagen and on Fyn, according to the Staten Serum Institut. It says the strain most dominant right now is Influenza A. But while flu activity has picked up a little in recent weeks, the agency says virus activity remains at a very low level and still well below what we would normally see at this time of year prior to the pandemic.
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Sweden has added another 70 corona deaths and 2,472 infections (wildly underreported) since yesterday’s update.
ICU numbers (53) are unchanged. (ICU numbers chart 👇)
To date, 86.9% of those 12 years old and older have one vaccine dose, 84.5% have two, and 60.3% of those 18 years old and older have a booster shot.
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After lifting all COVID recommendations, returning to near normal, and preventing the general public from accessing COVID testing, the Swedish Public Health Agency is warning the pandemic is not over yet.
Director Karin Tegmark Wisell:
“The pandemic is not over and getting vaccinated is still important to protect vulnerable groups and reduce deaths.”
Tegmark says while vaccination uptake among seniors over the age of 70 has been relatively good, rates are lacking across other age groups leave something to be desired. She says more work needs to be done to increase vaccination coverage, especially with no more COVID measures in place.
The agency will designate March 14 to 20 ‘national vaccination week’ in an effort to boost inoculation numbers.
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Vaccination rates are still too low in Southern Sweden, especially among young people, and Region Skåne is going to try and get those numbers up. The region says among kids 12 to 17 years old vaccination coverage is too low for both 1st and 2nd doses. Now it will make “special efforts” to try to reach young people and get them vaccinated.
Department Head Maria Landgren:
“We know rates are low in this group and we are making intensive information efforts there. During the national vaccination week, week 11, additional initiatives will also be implemented, such as getting more multilingual information out and opening up for vaccination in, among other places, Rosengårdsskolan's sports hall in Malmö.”
Efforts will also be focused on getting more people a booster dose.
“Everyone needs a third dose, as the protection offered by the vaccine decreases. Do not wait just because you just had COVID. Take it as soon as you are healthy and you will have better protection against future infections.”
The region is still using mobile vaccination units on top of its vaccine clinics to offer plenty of ways for people to get their first, second, or third dose.
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Finland registered 6,029 new infections and 23 more pandemic deaths since yesterday’s update
COVID hospitalizations (763) jumped (+36).
So far, 79.4% of the total population have one dose, 75.5% have two, and 49.7% have had a booster shot.
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Finland is not out of the woods yet as it continues to wrestle with an Omicron-driven infection wave. According to the latest weekly assessment from the Finnish Institute for Health COVID hospitalizations ebbed slightly from week to week, going from 322 to 316 infection patients. But intensive care numbers crept upward, going from 25 to 36 from week 7 to week 8. Overall, the agency says, hospitalizations remain too high.
While infection numbers have become a less reliable barometer of the epidemic, the health institute says the more sound wastewater COVID testing surveillance still shows high levels of infection activity. Wastewater levels are only on decline in two regions, Espoo and Helsinki. Everywhere else, rates remain stable or are rising.
The institute reports a total of 2,366 deaths with a positive COVID test result in the last two weeks. Like Danish health officials, those in Finland have also been investigating how many people are dying because of a coronavirus infection and how many have died of other causes but with an infection.
The institute is advising people to protect themselves against infection by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask in crowded places, maintaining good hand hygiene, and staying home if they are feeling sick.
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The first batch of the Novavax COVID vaccine has arrived in Finland. The protein-based vaccine was approved for use in Europe in December, by the European Union Commission. Finnish health authorities are recommending the vaccine be used by people 18 years old and older who are unable, or unwilling, to be vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna).
Finnish Institute for Health Leading Expert Mia Kontio says there are a limited number of doses.
“However, it must be borne in mind that vaccine preparations may not be enough for everyone who wants to. The greatest medical need for this vaccine is for unvaccinated people over the age of 60 who belong to medical risk groups.”
Finland has 235,000 doses of the vaccine, with the next shipments coming in April through June.
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In Norway, COVID hospitalizations (575) have decreased (-23) while the number of severely infected people in an ICU (55) increased (+10) and of those the number on a ventilator (25) also rose (+6).
After suffering 65 virus deaths on Wednesday, there were none over the last day, while Norge added another 12,070 infections (underreported).
To date, 80.3% of Norwegians have one dose, 74.6% have two, and 53.5% have a booster shot.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has updated vaccination numbers across certain specific groups.
12 to 15 year old - 42% have one vaccine dose.
16 to 17 year olds - 83% have one dose and 42% have two.
18 years old and older - 65% have two doses and a booster.
45 years old and older - 81% have a booster dose.
65 years old and older 89% have been boosted.
High risk groups 18 to 64 years old - 81% have a booster shot.
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The Omicron-fueled infection wave continues to batter Norway as hospitalizations keep rising. According to the latest weekly epidemic assessment from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, there were 910 new admissions last week, up from the 764 of the week before. Of those, 490 (54%) were hospitalized directly because of a COVID infection, an increase from the 430 in the week prior. Intensive care admissions inched down last week with 35, three fewer than the week before but still much higher than ICU admissions in weeks 4 through 6, which were between 15 to 19 each week.
Last week, hospitalizations measured per 100,000 people were highest again among each end of the age spectrum, with seniors 85 years old and older (77.5 per 100,000) and infants under the age of one (64.0). The institute stresses that COVID hospitalizations among infants “are generally short-lived and may be to a lower threshold for admission” due to the level of concern from parents. The NIPH says hospitalization rates have increased for every age group over 55, with all other age groups remaining relatively stable or declining.
Among the patients admitted because of an infection whose vaccination status was known the institute says 119 (24%) were unvaccinated, 86 (18%) had two doses, and 268 (55%) had two doses and a booster. The health agency notes vaccinated people winding up in hospital due to a severe infection are generally much older or have underlying health conditions making them a high COVID risk.
Pandemic deaths in Norway have been rising over the last four weeks. The NIPH report says 57 coronavirus deaths were recorded last week, up from the 48 of the week before. The median age of those who died was 84 years old. The agency says excess mortality rates have been at, or below, expected levels since the last week of December.
There were 100,722 confirmed COVID infections in Norway last week, a number that is likely underreported due to testing changes and the proliferation of self-testing kits. The NIPH says corona cases have been decreasing for the last two weeks for those under the age of 18.
On the variant side, the institute says the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is now dominant in Norway, accounting for 61% of all sequenced positive test results.
The COVID R0 in Norway was calculated at 1.1 last week Dow from the weekly average of 1.4 since February 7. The NIPH is anticipating the high infection activity to continue with the Omicron wave hopefully peaking “in the next few weeks.”
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Germany added 210,673 infections while losing another 267 lives to the coronavirus since Wednesday’s update.
It added 2,039 COVID hospitalizations while ICU numbers (2,289) crept upward (+3). As a percentage of total intensive care beds in the country, coronavirus patients are using 10.3%.
So far, 76.3% of the total population have one dose, 75.5% have two, and 57.2% have a booster dose.
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The European Centre for Disease Control has released its latest COVID risk assessment map of the European Union. For the first time in a few weeks, some shades of lighter red are reappearing on a map still dominated by high-risk crimson.
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Canada reported 6,907 COVID infections on Wednesday while suffering another 91 coronavirus deaths as total pandemic fatalities approach 37,000. Keep in mind, due to lack of testing, corona case numbers are extremely underreported.
So far the Canadian vaccination effort has administered 32,223,856 1st vaccine doses (84.28% of the total population) while 30,933,141 people (80.90%) have two doses, and of those 17,686,581 are fully vaccinated with three doses.
In Ontario, COVID hospitalizations (834) fell (-80) while the number of severe infections in intensive care (267) has declined (-11). The province has a positivity percentage of 13.62%
Quebec saw hospitalizations (1,364) drop (-75) while the number of severe infections in an ICU (76) also fell (-14). There were 24 more corona deaths. The province has a positivity percentage of 7.41%
Newfoundland and Labrador has 15 COVID patients in hospital, a decrease of four. The province has a positivity percentage of 37%.
New Brunswick saw hospitalizations (88) increase (+2) while ICU numbers (6) also rose (+3). The province saw two more pandemic deaths. It has a positivity percentage of 24.19%.
In Nova Scotia hospitalizations (46) are down (-2) while there are 12people in intensive care, an increase of one. The province has suffered three more corona deaths. It has a positivity percentage of 20.97%.
Manitoba saw COVID hospitalizations (459) decline (-4) with 29 people in intensive care, a drop of one. There have been three new pandemic deaths. The province has a five-day positivity percentage of 12.5%.
In Saskatchewan hospitalizations (353) have dropped (-19) since last Thursday’s update. There are 30 people in an ICU, an increase of three. In the last week, there have been 44 more pandemic deaths. The province has a positivity percentage of 13.6%.
COVID hospitalizations in Alberta (1,204) dropped (-20) while the number of people in an ICU (80) dipped (-3). There have been 7 more corona deaths. The province has a positivity percentage of 21.6%.
B.C. saw COVID hospitalizations (511) fall (-38) while the number of people with severe infections in an ICU (79) also dipped (-6). There have been 13 more pandemic deaths.