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COVID-19

Coronavirus: Denmark R-number falls after early July increase

The R-number or reproduction rate for Covid-19 in Denmark is now 1.1, a decrease from the previous value of 1.3.

Published: 20 July 2021 16:57 CEST
Coronavirus: Denmark R-number falls after early July increase
File photo: Niels Christian Vilmann/Ritzau Scanpix

The updated measure was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, a change in testing behaviour in Denmark means that more uncertainty is associated with the figure than usual.

READ ALSO: Denmark to reduce Covid-19 rapid testing capacity

Last week’s R-number was calculated to be 1.3, which was the highest value recorded since August 2020.

The R-number or reproduction rate is an estimate of the rate of spread of the virus through society. If the number is 1.1, 10 infected people are estimated to infect 11 others, meaning the epidemic is growing. A R-number less than 1.0 means that the epidemic is diminishing.

As such, the Covid-19 epidemic in Denmark remains on an incline but the new R-number suggests that the rate is beginning to slow.

The current situation with the virus is not a cause for immediate concern, an expert said.

“The reproduction rate is always a little behind. It reflects what happened a few days ago. And if we look at the numbers for the last 3-5 days then the epidemic is down to where it’s neither growing nor declining,” said Viggo Andreasen, professor in mathematical epidemiology at Roskilde University.

Uncertainty related to the R-number is linked to variation in the number of people being tested on different days of the week. Testing numbers are also declining overall as the number of vaccinated people increases.

Although the R-number incorporates a lag due to the way it is calculated, it forms part of the background for authorities and experts in decisions regarding the ongoing response to the pandemic.

Daily infection rates and the number of hospitalised people with Covid-19 are also key factors in this regard.

Infection numbers have varied somewhat during the last 10 days, between 1,202 on July 14th and 641 on July 18th.

On Tuesday, 820 new cases were registered from 84,439 tests, giving a positivity rate of 0.97 percent, within the range observed over the last week.

A total of 50 people are currently hospitalised with Covid-19 as of Tuesday. That figure has remained stable throughout July.

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

READ ALSO: 

People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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