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COVID-19 STATS

Covid-19: Danish infections remain at high level despite third day under 4,000

A total of 3,711 new Covid-19 infections were registered in Denmark on Monday, the third day in a row the figure has been below 4,000.

Published: 22 November 2021 17:50 CET
A file photo showing Covid-19 testing. Danish infections rates have stabilised in recent days but remain at a high level.
Telephone sick leave is back for positive Covid-19 cases in Austria. Photo by Stephane Mahe / Reuters.

Thursday and Friday last week both saw over 4,000 new infections recorded in the country and were the two days with the highest number of new infections in 2021.

The total of 3,711 set down on Monday came from 133,782 PCR tests, giving a test positivity rate of 2.77.

Saturday’s total of 3,795 new infections came from 189,557 PCR tests, while Sunday’s figure, 3,415, came from 143,762 PCR tests. That gives positivity rates of 2 percent and 2.38 percent respectively.

Infections with Covid-19 in Denmark could continue to increase but perhaps only in the short term, according to Hans Jørn Kolmos, professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Southern Denmark.

“There is a lot of virus in circulation, and infections will probably continue to increase for a while yet because it will take some time before we see the effects of the coronapas [Covid-19 health pass, ed.],” Kolmos said.

READ ALSO: Denmark reinstates coronapas at restaurants, bars and events

The professor argued that current infection levels do not justify new restrictions. That is because the infections are not evenly distributed across the country, with cities seeing the highest number of cases, he said.

“We should not begin to introduce national restrictions now. But the increasing infections should be taken seriously,” he said.

“We are now looking towards the Christmas month where we usually have Christmas parties and are generally mostly indoors. Therefore, we should be extra careful,” he said.

READ ALSO: Could Danish companies cancel Christmas parties?

Christmas parties do not necessarily have to be cancelled provided the correct precautions are kept in mind during festivities, Kolmos said.

“We should remember to air rooms, not sit to closely together, be mindful not to sing and shout too much and remember to use hand sanitizer,” he said.

“Maybe Christmas parties will be a little different this year but there is nothing to say we shouldn’t have them if the infections situation doesn’t greatly change,” he added.

The number of hospitalised patients with Covid-19 increased significantly during the weekend. It is now 438 having stood at 378 on Friday. It should be noted that discharges are generally lower at weekends due to hospital staffing.

Early January this year saw Denmark reach its highest number of patients admitted to hospitals with Covid-19 when the figures exceeded 900.

“The most concerning thing (about admissions numbers) is that the number of hospitalisations is still increasing and we therefore risk the health system soon being forced to prioritise in what they do. We’re not there yet, but things could go the wrong way,” Kolmos said.

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COVID-19

Germany’s weekly Covid infection rate rises above 500

Germany recorded a weekly Covid incidence of more than 500 per 100,000 people on Monday as health experts warn that the fifth wave of the pandemic has only just begun.

Published: 17 January 2022 13:09 CET
Bar in Berlin's Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, which has the highest incidence in the country.
People sit outside bars in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, where incidences are currently the highest in the country. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christophe Gateau

On Monday, the 7-day incidence of Covid infections per 100,000 people stood at 528, up from 515 the day before and 376 a week ago. 

Infections have been rising rapidly as the highly transmissible Omicron variant tightens its hold in Germany. Monday marked the fourth day in a row in which the country posted record incidences.

Since the first incidence of the variant was discovered in the country around seven weeks ago, Omicron has swiftly taken over as the dominant variant in Germany.

It currently accounts for around 73 percent of Covid infections and is expected to almost entirely replace the Delta variant this week. 

Though Omicron generally causes a less severe illness than Delta, experts are concerned that deaths and hospitalisations could remain high due to the unprecedented number of cases Germany could see.

Unlike Delta, Omicron has a large number of mutations that allow it to evade previously built up immunity through vaccinations and illness. 

The World Health Organisation has warned that half of all Europeans could be infected with the virus by spring. 

“After the temporary decline in case numbers, severe disease courses and deaths towards the end of 2021 in the fourth wave, the fifth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has begun in Germany with the dominant circulation of the omicron variant,” the Robert Koch Institute wrote in its weekly report on Thursday.  

Since the first Omicron case was discovered in Germany, there have been 191,422 suspected or proven cases of the variant.

As Welt data journalist Olaf Gersemann pointed out in Twitter, the number of Omicron cases has increased sixfold within a fortnight. 

Increase in hospitalisations

Before this weekend, Germany had hit its previous peak of infections back in November, when the country posted a 7-day incidence of 485 per 100,000 people at during the peak of the fourth wave.

Since then, Covid measures such contact restrictions and blanket 2G (entry only for the vaccinated and recovered) or 2G-plus (vaccinated or recovered with a negative test) have been relatively effective at turning the tide. 

READ ALSO:

For the past few weeks however, infections have been on the up once again as the Omicron fifth wave begins.

The incidence of hospitalisations in the country appears to also be on the rise again after a few weeks of decline. On Friday, the 7-day incidence of hospitalisations stood at 3.24 per 100,000 people, up from 3.13 the day before.

Over the weekend, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warned that Omicron could place additional pressure on the general hospital wards as fewer people end up in intensive care. 

“Depending on how things develop, we may face shortages not only in the intensive care units, but also in the normal wards. There is a threat of entire departments being closed,” he said.

“Rapid spread of the virus would mean hundreds of thousands will become seriously ill and we will have to mourn many thousands of deaths again.” 

Karl Lauterbach

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) speaks at a weekly press conference on Friday, January 14th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Kay Nietfeld
 

Northern states post record incidences

Since the start of the Omicron wave, northern Germany has been disproportionately affected by the virus.

As of Monday, the city-state of Bremen had the highest incidence in the country, with 1389 new cases per 100,000 people recorded in a week.

This was followed by Berlin, which currently has a 7-day incidence of 948, and Hamburg, which recorded a 7-day incidence of 806. The district with the highest incidence in Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, which posted a weekly incidence of 1597 on Monday. 

In contrast to the fourth wave, the lowest Covid incidences were recorded in the eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. 

On Monday, Thuringia had a weekly incidence of 198 per 100,000 people, while Saxony’s incidence was 249 and Saxony-Anhalt’s was 280.

Somewhat inexplicably, the incidence has been declining in Thuringia in recent weeks, though there is speculation that this could be to do with the fact that Omicron has not yet spread in the state.

Nine of the sixteen German states have incidences of more than 500 per 100,000 people. 

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