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COPENHAGEN

Covid-19 infection rate in Copenhagen concerns expert

A total of 964 new infections with Covid-19 were registered in Denmark in the latest daily count on Sunday.

Covid-19 infection rate in Copenhagen concerns expert
A reopened gym in Copenhagen earlier this month. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

The figure reflects the daily number of new infections seen generally during May, with the total hovering close to 1,000 in recent days.

Sunday’s total was gleaned from 173,269 PCR tests for the coronavirus. That gives a test positivity rate of 0.56. The figure has crept over 0.5 this month having ranged between 0.3-0.5 since a partial lockdown was in place in February.

However, comparing test positivity in different months is not necessarily helpful, given the circumstances related to testing – corona passport rules were not in effect in February, for example – are not necessarily the same. The number of tests conducted on a daily basis can also vary over longer periods.

An expert from the University of Southern Denmark called current infection figures in Denmark “stable” but expressed concern over trends in Copenhagen.

“The thing that could concern me a bit is the development in Copenhagen. We’ve seen an abruptly increasing trend there over the last several days,” professor of clinical microbiology Hans Jørn Kolmos told news wire Ritzau.

A total of 1,504 infections were recorded in the capital in the seven days preceding Sunday, giving the city one of the country’s highest incidence rates.

Kolmos noted a higher population density, younger population and lower vaccination coverage in Copenhagen as relative factors.

Official data currently shows the Capital (Hovedstaden) health authority as having the lowest vaccination coverage of Denmark’s five healthcare regions.

The region, which includes Copenhagen, northeastern Zealand and the island of Bornholm, has given 26.9 percent of its residents a first vaccine dose and fully vaccinated 17.5 percent, at the time of writing.

That compares to 30.7 percent and 19.4 percent respectively in Zealand, the most-vaccinated region.

Kolmos said that infections in Copenhagen are “nearing something that is reminiscent of lockdown (levels)”.

READ ALSO: Denmark eases travel restrictions: EU tourists can now visit country

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TRANSPORT

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

Lines M3 and M4 of the Copenhagen Metro are back in service having reopened on Sunday, one day ahead of schedule.

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

The two lines had been closed so that the Metro can run test operations before opening five new stations on the M4 line this summer.

The tests, which began on February 10th, are now done and the lines were running again as of Sunday evening, a day ahead of the original planned reopening on Monday February 26th.

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome our passengers on to our two lines M3 and M4,” head of operations with the Metro Søren Boysen said.

“The whole test procedure exceeded all expectations and went faster than expected and we can therefore get a head start on our reopening now,” he said.

Time set aside for potential repeat tests was not needed in the event, allowing the test closures to be completed ahead of time.

“Several of our many tests went better than expected and we have therefore not used all the time we needed for extra tests,” Boysen said.

The two lines serve around one million passengers every week, according to the Metro company.

READ ALSO: Copenhagen city government greenlights extension to Metro line

The new stops on the M4 line will be located south of central Copenhagen in the Valby and Sydhavn areas. The will have the names Haveholmen, Enghave Brygge, Sluseholmen, Mozarts Plads and København Syd (Copenhagen South).

The M3 and M4 lines, the newer sections of the Metro, opened in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

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