The Evening Report - Nov 29
COVID numbers rise in Denmark. Hospitalizations jump in Stockholm.
🦠Pandemic🦠
🇩🇰
Denmark’s RS virus wave seems like it might have peaked and is now beginning to ease. This fall the virus flared up much earlier than normal and swept across the country with the 2nd highest infection wave ever seen in the country.
The majority of RS virus infections this fall have been among infants under the age of two who are most at risk of a severe infection.
-
COVID numbers in Denmark seem to be ticking upward. In the last day, infection numbers have risen in 65 of Denmark’s 98 municipalities.
-
COVID hospitalizations (312) continued to creep upward day over day (+26) while the number of severely infected people in an ICU (8) and of those, the number on a ventilator (3) were both unchanged. Infection admissions to a psychiatric facility (62) also nudged upward (+5).
-
Denmark reported 1,108 new COVID infections on Tuesday (underreported), including 563 reinfections, and another four coronavirus deaths pushing the total to-date number of lives lost in the pandemic to 7,528.
Graph of pandemic fatalities/Statens Serum Institute
-
31.3% of the total Danish population has now had a 2nd COVID vaccine booster dose since the new re-vaccination campaign began on September 15th.
🇸🇪
The Swedish Public Health Agency updates its COVID numbers once a week, every Thursday afternoon.
-
COVID hospitalizations are creeping upward again in Sweden’s capital region. In its latest weekly pandemic snapshot, Region Stockholm reports there are 343 pandemic patients in hospitals, 58 more than there were a week ago, which is a 20% increase. There are seven people in intensive care.
Chief Physician Johan Bratt:
“We are seeing an increase in the number of people who are infected and the number of infected people being treated in hospital in the last week. However, it is not possible to assess whether it is a new upward trend. In order not to get seriously ill, it is important to get vaccinated, especially if you are unvaccinated. I would like to urge everyone to follow the recommendations that are given and take the booster doses that are being offered.”
Bratt says cases of the seasonal flu have also increased, providing a potential complication.
“We see a slight increase in the number of cases of influenza and therefore want to remind medical risk groups and people over 65 to take their annual influenza vaccination.”
The region says it has confirmed another 764 coronavirus infections in the last week, a number wildly underreported due to Sweden’s lackluster testing policies. Of the new infections in the last week 173 were vulnerable seniors in care.
Region Stockholm has also suffered another 15 pandemic fatalities. It continues to emphasize that Sweden continues to struggle with a backlog of reporting COVID deaths as it has all year.
-
Get your flu shot now. That is the message from the Swedish Public Health Agency. It is warning that influenza numbers are rising in Sweden and there could be a particularly severe influenza wave coming. The agency says people should get their flu shots now in order to have maximum protection before spending Christmas with family, especially seniors who are most at risk.
Epidemiologist Annasara Carnahan:
“Since it takes about two weeks to get protection from the vaccine, it is now that vaccination is important for those who are at risk of becoming seriously ill. During the pandemic, we have been careful to protect ourselves in various ways, and we need to remember that even influenza can cause serious illness.”
Sweden launched its influenza vaccine campaign two weeks ago. It is targeted at those in high-risk groups, pregnant women, and seniors.
“There is a risk that the winter flu season will be intense and we see that the number of cases has started to increase. More people are susceptible to infection and more people are likely to get sick this year because it's been a while since we had a widespread flu outbreak.”
In Sweden, people who are eligible for both shots can get vaccinated against influenza and get a COVID vaccine booster dose in the same visit.
🇫🇮
The Finnish Institute for Health updates its COVID numbers every Thursday.
-
A debate is unfolding in Finland about whether the pandemic is playing a role in spiking numbers of crimes involving young people. On one side of the argument, the Finnish Institute for Health says COVID restrictions led to more kids being online, exposing them to what it called “violent trends in other countries.” It is also hypothesizing that social isolation during the pandemic is contributing to young people falling in with the wrong crowd “which could lead to more risky behaviours.”
Groups like the Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy are on the other side of the argument, saying it is way too early to be drawing such conclusions about how the pandemic may or may not be contributing to rising crime rates among younger people.
-
It appears the pandemic baby boom is over in Finland. During 2020 and 2021, with COVID lockdowns and strict restrictions ruling the day, Finns apparently found other ways to pass the time as birth rates jumped in both of the first few years of the pandemic. But, Statistics Finland says the numbers so far this year indicate the birth rate could fall to an all-time low. Preliminary data points to a 9% drop in the birth rate from January to October. In 2019, Finland recorded its lowest birth rate since records began to be kept.
🇩🇪
Germany has recorded 46,552 infections in its Tuesday update along with 162 more pandemic fatalities.
It added another 2,316 hospitalizations while ICU numbers (934) have pushed upward (+33). As a percentage of all intensive care beds in the country COVID infected patients are using 4.4%.
So far, 77.9% of the total population has one vaccine dose, 76.3% have two, and 62.5% have had a booster dose.
-
German could soon hand its COVID vaccination efforts to family doctors and health clinics. The current vaccination regulations are due to expire at the end of the year, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said this week that the transition of vaccination responsibility will be made on January 1.
The German government will continue its roll of procuring COVID vaccines and supplying them free of charge.
WHO🌏🦠
Despite a swath if new coronavirus variants popping out of the woodwork, the World Health Organization hasn’t added a new variant of concern since Omicron emerged. The global health agency says the Omicron variant was so contagious that it, and a global COVID vaccination campaign that worldwide 90% of the population had some form of immune protection. It says this has helped maintain the wall of protection against severe infections resulting in hospitalization and death.
The WHO says currently there are over 500 sublineages of the Omicron variant out circulating in the world. But, thanks to global immune protection, not one of these new variants has been listed as a new variant of concern, the WHO’s list of most worrisome coronavirus strains.
But, the health agency is concerned that lackluster COVID testing around the world is kneecapping its ability to monitor for new and potentially more threatening COVID variants. It also warns that there is limited surveillance, of zoonotic virus threats, the passing of a virus from animal to human. It says this is where the next variant of concern will likely come from.
🇨🇦
The Public Health Agency of Canada, in its latest Tuesday afternoon report, says in the last week there were another 15,085 COVID infections, while 267 more Canadians lost their lives in the pandemic. The total to-date number of coronavirus deaths in Canada is now 47,781.
⚡️Energy Crisis⚡️
🇩🇰
The roller coaster ride that is electricity prices in Denmark is taking another turn. After prices soared early in the fall and then came back down to earth, they are rocketing back upward again. The reason? Falling temperatures in Europe, which are driving up heating demand and testing European energy reservoirs.
As of Tuesday, peak period electricity prices in Denmark were approaching five kroner (a shade under $1 Cdn). With colder temperatures in the forecast possibly through Christmas and into the New Year energy experts expect electricity costs to continue to rise.
Andel Energi Manager Jack Michael Kristensen spoke to DR:
“We cannot say exactly how long it will last, but we can see that this weather will last for the next week to a week and a half at least. And the market also expects that it will perhaps extend all the way into January.”
The problem is being complicated not just due to colder weather but also less wind meaning Danish wind turbines won’t be cranking out as much juice as hoped for.
“Prices are rising because it has become cold in Europe and the wind has died down. Therefore, we have to go out and buy our energy in Germany at a much higher price, because it is to a greater extent the gas prices that control the price there.”
People in Denmark are being advised to keep their energy use down, especially during peak periods. Dress warmly inside your house to minimize heating, and be flexible when you are using major appliances.
🇦🇺 🇩🇪
For the first time since 2009, LNG from Australia has arrived in the European Union. Australian liquified natural gas shipments have historically gone almost entirely to Asian markets. But, with the European energy crisis, the EU is aggressively snapping up every shipment of LNG they can lay their hands on.
The first LNG tanker from Australia to arrive in Europe in 13 years docked in Rotterdam this week. From there the gas will be shipped to Germany’s energy giant, Uniper.
🇩🇪 🇶🇦
Germany has reached a long term deal with Qatar to supply it with liquified natural gas. The 15 year deal was signed this week, but it won’t come into force until 2026. While this is welcome news as Germany hunts for reliable sources of energy to replace Russian oil and gas, it won’t help much over the short term as Europe struggles with an energy crisis.
🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺 War
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇯🇵 🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇮🇹
The G7 nations have agreed to work together to investigate war crimes in Ukraine. The announcement confirming the cooperative investigation was made in Berlin on Tuesday as justice ministers from the G7 nations met in Germany.
Germany's Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann spoke to Reuters:
“The judicial investigation of the atrocities committed in Ukraine will take years, maybe even decades. But we will be well prepared and will continue as long as it takes.”
The G7 consists of France, Japan, Germany, the UK, the USA, Italy, and Canada.
🇫🇮 🇸🇪/ 🇹🇷
NATO foreign affairs ministers are meeting this week in Bucharest, Romania. The foreign affairs ministers of both Sweden and Finland are there as guests as the two countries wait for a resolution to their applications to become full members of the military alliance. Turkey continues to pull the bait-and-switch game and remains the only one of the 30 NATO member countries to not yet ratify Sweden and Finland’s applications.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö seems resigned to the Turkish government continuing to drag the process out especially with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in charge.
“It has been quite clear to me that the solution lies in the head of one man, that is of President Erdoğan. That is being affected by the state of Turkey's [spring] elections and Turkey's internal politics.”
Finland and Sweden need a yes from all 30 member countries to be admitted to NATO.
🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
As European sanctions against Russia continue to mount, the value of Russian imports flowing into Finland has fallen off a cliff. Preliminary numbers from Finnish Customs say imports from Russia in September were valued at €257 million, 66% less than in September of 2021. Year over year there are 80% fewer Finnish companies importing goods from Russia.
But, some things are still getting through. Russian uranium, not covered by EU sanctions, continues to arrive to fuel nuclear power plants in Finland. Other non-sanctioned goods like nickel and refined oil also continue to flow across the border.
The European Union has levied eight rounds of sanctions against Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The EU is currently working on a ninth sanctions package. Finland has also tightened border controls with Russia making it much harder for Russians to cross.
🇸🇪 🇺🇦
A Swedish politician is pushing for his country to allow the sale of Swedish SAAB JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
Swedish Member of Parliament Magnus Jakobsson:
“As for military aid in general, my position is that I always argue that Sweden has to be ready to sell arms. In particular, I know that the Ukrainian side is interested in the Swedish aircraft JAS 39 Gripen and I say that we have to make it possible. We have a law in Sweden that says we are not allowed to sell military equipment to a country that is at war. But, since we are already giving equipment to Ukraine, of course, we should have the possibility to sell also.”
🇸🇰 🇩🇪 🇺🇦
Slovakia has donated 30 tracked infantry fighting vehicles to the Ukrainian army. Slovak Defense Minister Jaro Nad confirmed on Tuesday that 30 BMP-1 vehicles had been handed over to Ukraine. He adds this is part of a three-way swap with Slovakia getting 15 Leopard 2 tanks in return from Germany.
🇩🇪 🇺🇦
The German government is discussing the possibility that Patriot missile systems that were intended for Poland could instead be shipped to Ukraine. Germany is also weighing the possibility of donating more Gepard anti-aircraft guns to the Ukrainian army. It has already committed to sending about 350 generators to help keep Ukraine powered as temperatures fall and Russia continues to try and destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.