Coronavirus in Denmark: Returning to normal – gradually

On Monday, Minister of Health Magnus Heunicke announced that the healthcare system would begin resuming normal operations (DK) this week. Ordinary activities have been suspended since the outbreak of the epidemic, but now the epidemic is considered to be under control and the system has the capacity to treat other health issues as well. Patients normally have a right to be treated within 30 days. A backlog of cases needing treatment by both GPs and specialists has accumulated during the crisis, including thousands of elective surgery procedures. 

The administration reached an agreement with organizations representing the Regions, the Municipalities and the Danish Medical Association but not with the other political parties. Last week, the opposition parties called for concrete measures to reestablish patient rights.  Heunicke stated that he wished that the administration could have reached a broad agreement on reopening the system with the other parties, but the “political will” was lacking. The Ministry of Health has not set a date for formally reinstating the treatment guarantee. The chairman of the Danish Medical Association, Anders Rudkjøbing, stated that it would be irresponsible to reinstate the guarantee (DK) now because the system cannot yet operate at full normal capacity.

Are recovered patients immune?

The health authorities are working hard on an antibody test (DK) that will show whether recovered Covid-19 patients have acquired immunity to the disease. According to Martin Tolstrup from the Institute for Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University, who heads the project, most people who are infected develop antibodies, but it is not yet certain that they have developed immunity. His group is applying antibodies to live viruses in petri dishes to see whether the antibodies kill the viruses. This is an important issue, not only because the results will determine whether recovered patients, including healthcare personnel, can return to work. Plasma from patients with strong antibodies could also be used as a treatment for new Covid-19 patients. But that part of the project could take up to a year, says Tolstrup, around the same amount of time for a vaccine to be developed and approved.

Margrethe Vestager, the European Minister for Competition, has recommended that EU member states be prepared to take stakes in private companies because there is a risk that China will attempt to take over companies that are in a distressed financial condition because of the epidemic. Vestager, who is the former chair of the Danish Social Liberal Party, was speaking generally and not in reference to Denmark in particular. But DR’s business correspondent Jakob Ussing says that the warning applies to Denmark (DK) as well as to the larger European countries. China has had an interest in acquiring infrastructure and technology companies. After the financial crisis, a Chinese company bought Greece’s largest harbor, in Piræus, for example. China is interested in green energy, one of the fields in which Denmark excels, and a Chinese company has already acquired a tower plant from Vestas, Denmark’s leading wind energy firm.

Man’s Humans’ best friend in a crisis

International business competition is not the only area where a watchdog is needed. The Dansk Kennel Club reports a large rise – around 40 percent – in demand for dogs (DK) since the lockdown. Other dog breeders have seen similar interest, and animal shelters have fewer occupants than usual because of adoptions. According to breeders, the reasons that people want dogs now are that they have more time for pets at home under quarantine and they are not making plans for summer travel. A spokesman for Animal Protection Denmark, Jens Jokumsen, however, warns that a pet should not be an impulse purchase. People must also be prepared to care for it after the epidemic ends. They should also take time to consider what is the best breed for their family.