The Evening Report - March 17th
Denmark tinkers with its vaccination strategy
🇩🇰
While Denmark will continue to prioritize COVID vaccinations for seniors and those at greater risk of serious illness, it is adjusting its strategy for once the priority groups are completed.
The National Health Board (Sundhedsstyrelsen) says with large quantities of vaccine doses expected to begin arriving regularly in April, May, and June, vaccinating the general public will be done by age, with older age groups first in line.
Chief Physician and Unit Manager Bolette Søborg stated:
"We will very soon see vaccines starting to arrive in the country in far greater quantities than we have seen so far. In that situation, it makes good sense to adjust the target groups so that we can get vaccinations rolled out as quickly and as efficiently as possible and make sure that the right people get them first.”
The health board anticipates it will soon be able to vaccinate about a half a million people a week.
—
Denmark is reporting 787 COVID infections and one more coronavirus death in the last day.
A total of 309,309 corona tests were administered yesterday, 179,312 PCR and 129,997 rapid, for a positivity percentage of 0.25%.
COVID Hospitalizations (196) are down (-11), ICU numbers (41) also dipped (-2) and the number of people on an ventilator (25) edged up (+1).
—
On the vaccination effort to date, 595,943 1st dose vaccinations (10.2% of the population) have been administered while 277,951 people are now fully vaccinated.
Yesterday a total of 16,102 vaccinations were administered.
—
The U.K. variant now makes up over 90% of all sequenced positive test results. It accomplished that feat in just 18 weeks despite the country being in lockdown for most of that time.
There are also ten more cases of the South African variant pushing the total to 34. The number of P1 variant infections remains at three but the Staten Serum Institut reports a fourth case was identified in a traveler transiting through Copenhagen Airport to another destination.
—
Figures released by the expert group for COVID mathematical modeling, led by the Staten Serum Institut, show the potential infection impact of reopening efterskoler og højskoler as of last Monday. A 5% increase in infection related hospitalizations is expected by mid-April. It is, however, important to note that this estimation does not include the potential impact from the relaxation of other restrictions, such as the opening of stores, etc.
—
The Danish Institute for Patient Safety says Lindbjergskolen in Herning Municipality is temporarily closed due to “outbreaks.” It says students, staff, and their families should go get tested.
🇸🇪
Sweden has added 6,781 infections and another 56 corona deaths since yesterday’s update. The infection curve in Sweden continues to head back upward.
To date 861,525 1st dose (10.5% of the population) and 361,897 2nd dose (4.4%) COVID vaccinations have been administered.
🇫🇮
Finland has registered 842 infections, its 2nd highest to date, and another three virus deaths.
COVID hospitalizations (222) are down (-12) and ICU numbers (56) are up (+7).
To date 636,349 1st dose (11.4% of the population) and 86,805 2nd dose (1.6%) vaccinations have been administered.
Finland’s Department of Health and Welfare is reporting no increase in thrombosis (severe blood clotting) after COVID vaccinations.
THL’s Specialist Researcher Petteri Hovi stated:
“We have compared the background incidence of vascular thrombosis in the population to how many cases of the disease have occurred after coronary vaccinations. In the light of the information now gathered, there have been no more blood clots in Finland since vaccination.”
There were at least five cases of thrombosis reported after AstraZeneca vaccinations according to the health department but those numbers “correspond to the overall prevalence of cases in the population and no increase in cases can be seen among those vaccinated.”
It also stresses it cannot be inferred the vaccine is linked to a causal effect.
🇳🇴
Norway has added 1,240 infections and seven more corona deaths since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (226) are up (+2) along with ICU (57) and ventilator numbers (34) (both +3).
To date 451,308 1st dose (8.37% of the population) and 257,851 2nd dose (4.78%) vaccinations have been administered.
The number of infections in Norway is growing at an alarming rate. The latest numbers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health show infections have increased by 208% since mid-February. Last week Norway saw the highest number of corona cases in any week since the pandemic began. The U.K. variant is behind the surge now accounting for 72% of all positive tests.
The Oslo, Viken, Vestfold, and Telemark regions are seeing the bulk of infection activity accounting for 83% of all new infections in the country last week.
The NIPH says there were a total of 153 hospitalizations in week 10, the most since March of last year.
🇪🇺
The President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is sounding a warning aimed in part at the United States. In comments today, von der Leyen said the E.U. has exported 44 million vaccine doses to 33 countries while some of those countries have blocked vaccine shipments coming back to Europe, like the United States. She says the E.U. will examine whether to make vaccine imports conditional on reciprocity.
“It's hard to explain to citizens" why the EU is exporting doses to countries that also produce vaccines, "but nothing is coming back to the European Union. Open roads run in both directions."
She also raised the possibility the E.U. could curb vaccine exports "to countries that have higher vaccination rates than us.”
🇵🇱
COVID numbers have shot up in Poland today with 25,052 new infections, the highest daily total since November 23rd, while virus deaths also jumped up with 453 lives lost today.
🇮🇹
Italy remains a COVID hot spot with 23,059 new infections and 431 corona deaths today.
🇨🇿
The hard hit Czech Republic continues to see infections ease slightly with 13,934 today Another 114 deaths were reported.
🇨🇦
Yesterday Canada recorded 2,822 new infections and 24 more corona deaths as infections continue to edge upward.
On the vaccination effort to date 2,753,055 1st dose vaccinations (7.24% of the population) have been administered, while 606,662 people are now fully vaccinated.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam updated variant numbers and they continue to grow. Tam said in the last 24 hours another 442 U.K. variant infections were reported, pushing the to date total to 3,777. The number of South African and Brazilian P1 variant infections jumped by 13 each.
Today, Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted, “Ontario is reporting 1,508 cases of COVID19 and over 49,100 tests completed. Locally, there are 542 new cases in Toronto, 253 in Peel and 107 in York Region. As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, 1,301,334 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.” There were also 14 more deaths.
In Quebec there were 703 new infections and 13 corona deaths today. There are 532 people in hospital with 107 in an ICU.
In Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new infections. New Brunswick had five. Nova Scotia two. While Prince Edward Island had one.
Manitoba registered 111 infections and no new deaths yesterday.
There were 156 infections and two more deaths in Saskatchewan yesterday.
Alberta reported 355 infections and three more corona deaths. Health officials there say variant infections now make up 11% of active cases.
B.C. logged 556 new infections and no new deaths while variant infections grew by another 116 cases.
🇧🇷
The COVID situation in Brazil is alarming. It is currently the hardest hit country in the world. Yesterday it registered 84,124 new infections and 2,798 virus deaths, by far deadliest day of the entire pandemic.
The Agência Fiocruz de Notícias has released an analysis of corona hospitalization numbers as it warns of the possibility of “the biggest hospital collapse in the history of Brazil.”
💉
The AstraZeneca vaccine was found to be “ineffective” in preventing mild to moderate South African variant infections according to a clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The double blind study was led by the South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit.