Coronavirus in Denmark: Has the danger passed?

On Friday, April 17, the Ministry of Health released a list of the healthcare-related professional and service businesses covered by the agreement to expand phase 1 (DK) of the reopening of society and the economy. The businesses may resume normal activities on Monday. The list includes private hospitals and clinics, dentists, physical therapists,  ophthalmologists, psychologists, hairdressers, tattoo parlors and other small services that involve close contact with customers. Other professional services such as law and accounting firms are also covered by the agreement. The first phase of the reopening extends until May 10. The health authorities have not yet seen whether the favorable trend in infections and hospitalizations has changed since the Easter holidays, when families traditionally gather. If the figures worsen, tighter restrictions may be reinstated. Restaurants and bars were not included because they attract larger numbers of people than the customers on the premises of smaller service businesses. 

The ban on gatherings (DK) of more than 10 people is still in place, says the Ministry of Health, and it has been extended until May 12. The ban does not apply to schools, day-care centers and other organizations that are covered by the gradual relaxation of restrictions that began on April 15. More specific guidelines apply to those institutions. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated yet again that the reopening depends on people continuing to follow the guidelines for social distancing. During the Easter holidays, the police issued 56 citations for violations of the limit on gatherings. Watch a pair of cops trying to break up small crowd (DK) enjoying a beer in the sun on the benches by Dronning Louise’s Bridge in Copenhagen. They didn’t fine anyone in this case and generally praised citizens for their cooperation.

A typical flu season?

A report from Statistics Denmark (DK) shows that the number of deaths since the first death in the coronavirus outbreak on March 14 until April 12 is no higher than normal. This year, 4,794 people died during the period. In the same period in 2019, the number was 4,498, and in 2018, it was 5,131. The epidemic thus does not seem to have caused an increase in mortality, says Dorthe Larsen, an official at Statistics Denmark. Larsen cautions, however, that the figures fluctuate from year to year depending on when a wave of influenza hits the country, that additional deaths may be reported, and that it is sometimes unclear whether the cause of death is Covid-19 or another illness. Thus far, 336 people have died from Covid-19, and the number of daily deaths has generally been falling since April 1.

The Greater Copenhagen Region has tested 20,000 healthcare employees (DK) with contact to patients for Covid-19 antibodies. The preliminary results show that the percentage of people infected is around the same as in the general population, as represented by the results of testing blood donors. Some 4.1 percent of the healthcare staff had antibodies, versus 2.9 percent of blood donors, and the difference is considered as being within the margin of error for the test. There may be a variance among individual hospital wards, for example, but Svend Hartling, the head of the Region, hopes that the results will help to allay the staff’s concerns about becoming infected. On Thursday an employee at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital died of Covid-19.

Not enough testing

The Danish Regions want to expand the testing for Covid-19 (DK). Stephanie Lose, the chairperson for the Regions, said that the Regions have unused capacity for testing. She invited people with mild symptoms to ask their doctors for a test and urged doctors to refer people for tests. Søren Brostrøm, the head of the Health Agency, has said that he would like to test 10,000 people per day. The number tested has risen to around 6,700 but in recent days has fallen to 3,500. The policy has changed a couple of times and has perhaps been unclear for both GPs and patients. The priority has been testing healthcare personnel, but recently people with mild symptoms were supposed to be tested. The only person I know of who has requested a test had cold symptoms for three weeks. Her GP rejected at least two requests, and she arranged to be tested at a private clinic.