The Evening Report - March 30th
Denmark will have another daily vaccinations test run
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Denmark’s Health Minister Magnus Heunicke says the coronavirus contact number (reinfection rate or R0) is holding steady at 1.1 for a 2nd week. He is urging people to abide by restrictions and hold fast during the Easter holidays.
Denmark is reporting 1,210 COVID infections. However, only 722 are from the previous 24 hours. The difference are backlogged cases submitted by a private testing provider. There were also two coronavirus deaths.
With 284,844 total corona tests yesterday, 158,909 PCR and 125,935 rapid. The positivity percentage for PCR tests only is 0.45%.
COVID hospitalizations (226) have crept up (+10), ICU numbers (41) are unchanged, and the number of people on a ventilator (24) has edged down (-1).
On the vaccination front to date, 709,298 1st dose vaccinations (12.1% of the population) have been administered while 373,611 people (6.4%) are now fully vaccinated. There were 23,712 total #COVID vaccinations yesterday.
Several kommunes are posting on social media that another vaccination ‘dress rehearsal’ will be held across the country on April 12th. They will see if 100,000 vaccinations can be administered in a single day. The last test run in February resulted in about 36,000 vaccinations, the most of any day yet.
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Denmark’s National Board of Health says fully vaccinated people will soon be able to call and order a paper vaccine passport if they aren’t comfortable with the digital app. Board of Health added that as of April 9th, paper vaccination passports will begin to be delivered by mail. Work is being done to provide easy access to paper documentation for both rapid and PCR test results.
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The Danish Agency for Patient Safety says all schools in Gladsaxe Kommune have been ordered closed due to infection rates. The schools will remain closed until at least April 12th. Gladsaxe has a COVID incidence rate per 100,000 people of 245, 2nd only to Ishøj.
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The latest assessment of COVID impacts on Denmark’s hospital system has found it weathered the second wave much better than the first. In the second wave, some non-essential surgeries and operations were postponed to clear the decks for the influx of corona infections, though to a lesser extent than in the first wave. Despite that fact, the hospital system managed to deal with more non-COVID patients in the second wave than it did in the first.
National Health Board Deputy Director Helene Probst
"It is good news that the decline in hospital operations has not been nearly as great in the second wave. It shows that it has been possible to adapt treatments and procedures and capacity gradually to the development of the epidemic, so that as many patients as possible could still be treated at the same time as the hospitals were dealing with a wave COVID infections."
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TV2 is putting some context to the issue of COVID long-haulers in Denmark. Those are people who become infected, recover, and then suffer a number of different symptoms for months afterward. The symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, and difficulty concentrating, among others.
TV2 is reporting that in the Sjælland and Metro Copenhagen health regions about 229 people were referred for treatment but not all of them have been able to get appointments.
Bispebjerg Hospital Deputy Medical Director Kirsten Wisborg.
“We have had more patients referred than first estimated. We try to give patients a time quickly. But the task has turned out to be bigger than we had expected.”
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For a second year in a row, the pandemic has forced the cancellation of one of Denmark’s largest flea markets. The Hjallerup Market in North Jutland usually sees about 200,000 visitors each June for the three day event. Organizers says with the current climate and restrictions it is just not feasible yet to operate.
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Sweden has added 16,427 infections and another 28 corona deaths since its last update Friday.
To date, 1,106,132 1st dose (13.5% of the population) and 482,539 2nd dose vaccinations (5.9%) have been administered.
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As a variant driven third COVID wave drives infections up in Sweden, the country’s public health agency is asking the government to postpone a planned easing of restrictions. Folkhälsomyndigheten has written the Swedish government to ask it push off easing restrictions for at least a month, until May 3rd, provided the infections situation improve by then.
“As the spread of infection is now increasing in most regions, with an increased burden on health care as a result, the Public Health Agency assesses that the changes are now not possible to implement.”
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Sweden’s Public Health Agency says so far the COVID vaccines in use are providing really good protection against the coronavirus. The agency is reporting with almost 500,000 2nd vaccination doses administered only “about 200” people have tested positive after the 2nd dose. The Public Health Agency says “it is still unclear to what extent vaccinated people can spread the infection, it is important that even vaccinated people continue to follow authority guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID.”
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Norway has added 1,123 infections and one coronavirus death since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (287) inched up (+2). ICU (94) and ventilator numbers (55) have edged up (both +3).
To date, 892,792 1st (11.52% of pop) and 198,420 2nd vaccination doses (5.04%) have been administered.
The Norwegian Health Institute updated its vaccination schedule today. While the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have an impact, it is not as severe as feared. Total vaccinations for everyone over the age of 18 have been delayed by just a few weeks pushing the effort into mid-July.
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Finland has registered 420 infections and four more virus deaths since yesterday’s update.
COVID hospitalizations (254) have declined (-5), ICU numbers (50) also dropped (-4).
To date, 862,639 1st dose (15.5% of the population) and 88,715 2nd dose (1.6%) vaccinations have been administered.
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Germany’s pharmaceutical watchdog, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, says it now has 31 cases of severe blood clotting in people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. A majority of the cases have been women, prompting some Berlin hospitals to ban the use of AstraZeneca altogether in vaccinating women.
Today the German Vaccine Commission recommended AstraZeneca be used only for vaccinating people over the age of 60.
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Germany will increase random checks along all land border crossings to ensure people coming into the country have the required negative COVID test according to German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
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Poland is reporting 20,870 new infections and 461 corona deaths today as its numbers begin to climb again coming out of the weekly Sunday/Monday lull.
The country reported a sobering 31,071 coronavirus patients in hospital, with a mind-numbing 3,054 of them on a ventilator.
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Today Greece recorded 4,322 new infections, the highest number of daily infections of any day yet in the pandemic, and 72 more virus deaths.
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Today Italy imposed a mandatory five day quarantine on all incoming travelers from other E.U. countries. On the fifth day, travelers are tested again and are free to go with a negative test result. This also applies to Italians coming from European destinations. There is an exemption for people traveling to Italy with a “proven necessity and urgency.”
Travelers arriving in Italy from outside the E.U. must quarantine for 14 days.
Today, Italy registered 16,017 new infections and 529 corona deaths. Both numbers remain stubbornly high.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had some good news in today’s COVID update. He says Pfizer has added five-million vaccine doses to June’s delivery. This, on top of the 4.6 million already scheduled to arrive, totals 9.6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by June. This is in addition to other vaccine shipments from other pharmaceutical companies.
Yesterday Canada registered 4,570 infections and 17 more corona deaths. However, as B.C. reported four days worth of data yesterday, numbers over the past several days have now been revised upward. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s COVID numbers now all exceed 5,000 infections.
On the vaccination front to date, 4,628,651 1st vaccination doses (12.18% of the population) have been administered. 672,313 people are now fully vaccinated.
The number of variant infections keeps growing. B.C, which has by far the most Brazilian P1 variants, added another 70 in the last day. Alberta, which leads all provinces with the number of U.K. variants, added another 249.
It was another bad day on the pandemic front in Ontario. According to Health Minister Christine Elliott, “Ontario is reporting 2,336 cases of COVID19 and nearly 36,100 tests completed. Locally, there are 727 new cases in Toronto, 434 in Peel, 229 in York Region, 194 in Durham, 144 in Ottawa and 123 in Hamilton. As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, 2,102,380 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.” 46 people were taken into an intensive care unit today, the largest single-day jump in admissions of ICU patients since the pandemic began.
A panel of science experts advising the Ford government on the COVID pandemic issued a stark warning today. "Right now in Ontario, the pandemic is completely out of control," said Dr. Peter Juni, the panel’s scientific director and a professor of medicine and epidemiology with the University of Toronto.
In Ontario, one doctor is making the desperate plight of one of his coronavirus patients public in an effort to emphasize why the province’s vaccination strategy must change.
Quebec reported 864 infections and seven more deaths today.
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island each reported three infections. New Brunswick and Newfound and Labrador have yet to report.
Manitoba registered 53 infections and had no new deaths.
There were 202 infections reported in Saskatchewan yesterday.
Alberta recorded 545 new infections and no new deaths yesterday.
B.C. reported 2,518 new infections over the last four days along with six more deaths. On Saturday, the province saw a record high 936 infections. The seven day average rose from 600 to 803 cases in the span of one week. The testing positivity rate jumped from 6.5% last week to 9.68% this week.
As numbers rocket upward, a three week “circuit breaker” list of restrictions was announced yesterday.
Indoor adult group fitness activities are suspended.
Gyms and Fitness Centers are restricted to one on one or individual training
Dine-in eating at any establishment is banned. Restaurants are restricted to patio or take-out only.
Indoor worship services are banned. Outdoor with appropriate precautions is okay.
Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort has been ordered closed until at least April 19
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