Coronavirus in Denmark: Testing and experimenting

On April 15, an antibody test (DK) was offered to 40,000 hospital staff in Greater Copenhagen with contact to patients. The test will clarify whether the staff who previously stayed home with mild cold symptoms actually had the virus. It will also show which hospital departments are the riskiest and allow staff to take additional precautions. Later it will be offered to hospital staff in the rest of the country. The test has been used on blood donors to get an estimate of how many have been infected beyond the confirmed cases. Thus far, the level is about 2.1 percent. The measure is an indication of herd immunity that can help the authorities decide when to relax restrictions on commercial activity and gatherings. The test is a simple blood test that shows the result in 15 minutes. Although researchers believe that people with antibodies are immune to the virus, those with positive results are advised not to change their behavior and to continue to practice social distancing.

Earlier there had been problems acquiring reliable tests (DK). A large delivery of tests from China was delayed, and another test produced 23 percent false negatives.

Quest for a treatment

Researchers are preparing to begin treating Covid-19 patients with plasma (DK). Martin Tolstrup from the Institute for Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University says that they are now testing the plasma to see whether it stops the virus. The plasma is expected to be given to patients in one or two weeks, and the results will be available in a few months. Researchers around the world are working on similar projects. The method is promising because it can be implemented quickly on a large scale. 

Meanwhile, researchers at two Copenhagen hospitals are conducting an experiment with an arthritis medicine (DK). They hope that the drug will prevent or reduce lung infections and thereby shorten the time that patients need treatment. That will increase the capacity of the entire healthcare system because patients who require oxygen that put pressure on hospital facilities, says  Lars Erik Vølund Kristensen, head of research at the Parker Institute at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital. The results of the experiment will not be ready for six months, and the amount of time required depends on how many patients can be recruited for the study. Ironically, Denmark’s success in holding the number of infections down has limited researchers’ ability to conduct experiments on possible treatments. But researchers and doctors in several larger countries are interested in seeing the data from the experiment.

Shortages of patients and customers

Danish hospitals have had high unused capacity (DK) during the crisis because there have been fewer infections than were first forecast when the administration ordered the lockdown on March 13. For example, four wards were prepared for Covid-19 patients at Aarhus University Hospital and only one has been used. Hospitals took fewer patients for other treatments and procedures, and staff were trained for treating Covid-19 patients. It is unfortunate that some other patients have had their treatments postponed, says Kurt Espersen, head of the South Denmark Region, but it is of course positive that the number of serious coronavirus infections is lower than had been expected. This was the right decision, maintains Espersen, because the priority was to avoid the kind of pressure on the hospital system that was occurring in Italy and Spain at that time. 

When shops reopen, they are expected to hold large clearance sales. Since the lockdown began on March 13, sales of clothing have fallen (DK) 50 percent and sales of shoes have fallen a full 90 percent. Retail businesses have set discounts on goods on their webshops, but they have not made a dent in their inventory, which peaks in the spring months. They have ordered new collections that will arrive before the current ones are sold. A significant amount of their sales normally go to tourists, and there is no outlook for tourists in Denmark yet. Retailers fear that they may need to hold clearance sales for the entire summer.

The monarchy endures

Today is Queen Margrethe II's 80th birthday. The customary gathering at Amalienborg Palace Square to wave at her on the balcony has been been canceled, but she will hold a brief interview on TV. In the evening her sons and their wives will visit her, keeping a safe distance, while her grandchildren will send their greetings on social media.