Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

COVID-19

Denmark’s Covid-19 R-number ‘expected to increase’ as daily cases escalate

Denmark set yet another new record for daily Covid-19 cases on Tuesday. The country’s R-number or reproduction rate for the virus is expected to increase.

Published: 14 December 2021 17:10 CET
People wearing face masks at the public library in Aalborg. Denmark registered 8,314 new cases of Covid-19 on December 14th.
People wearing face masks at the public library in Aalborg. Denmark registered 8,314 new cases of Covid-19 on December 14th. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

The R-number, a measure of the rate at which Covid-19 is being transmitted in the community, was estimated at 1.1 in the weekly update on Tuesday.

The number, which is unchanged from last week’s value, means the epidemic is growing in the country since it signifies that 10 people with the virus will on average pass it on to 11 others.

It is expected to increase in the short term, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke wrote on Twitter.

That is because of the increasing prevalence of the transmissible Omicron variant, which is expected to become dominant in Denmark this week.

The R-number is also associated with a lag and reflects the transmission situation for the virus around 10 days ago.

Tuesday saw 8,314 new cases of the virus registered by the infectious disease agency State Serum Institute, another new record for the daily total after it was also broken on Monday and three times last week.

The number of daily cases is now four times greater than it was at the beginning of November and 19 times greater compared to early October.

The number of patients admitted to hospital is also showing signs of growing after a period of relative stability. Hospital admissions have not so far increased as dramatically as case numbers, however.

A total of 498 people were admitted to Danish hospitals with the virus on Tuesday. That is twice as many as the beginning of November, and six times more than in October.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: Omicron variant expected to dominate in Denmark this week

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

COVID-19

Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

It is still free to get a Covid-19 vaccine in Denmark if you are over the age of 65 or have a health condition, with the health authorities now running Covid and flu vaccinations together. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 26 October 2023 11:10 CEST
Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

Who is being offered a vaccine for Covid-19 or flu this autumn? 

According to the information on the Danish Health Authority’s website, Covid-19 and flu vaccines are being offered to: 

  • People over the age of 65
  • People under the age of 65 who have a health condition which puts them at increased risk. You can find a list of the long-term health conditions deemed a risk here. 
  • Pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester

Children between 2 and 6 years of age are being offered a special flu vaccine for children, which is administered as a nose spray, but not the Covid vaccine (unless they fit one of the categories above). 

Those who have retired early, for whatever reason, are also being offered the flu vaccine but not a Covid-19 vaccine.  

People over the age of 65 and the parents of children between the ages of 2 and 6 will automatically receive an invitation to get vaccinated though their digital postbox at borger.dk, e-Boks and mit.dk.

People in the other eligible categories will not receive an invitation. 

If you have not yet received an invitation, do not worry, as invitations are being staggered over October and the start of November.  

READ ALSO: 

When and where can I get vaccinated? 

This year’s autumn vaccination campaign started on October 1st and will continue until January 15th. 

You can get vaccinated at one of over 50 regional vaccination sites all over Denmark, or at the over 280 local pharmacies which are signed up to be part of the programme. 

Residents of care homes for the elderly and others in need will be offered vaccinated at their home.

You can log in and book an appointment at your nearest centre or pharmacy at Denmark’s official vaccination website www.vacciner.dk.

Is it possible to get vaccinated against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time? 

The Danish Health Authority has judged that it is safe to receive vaccines against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time, but the two vaccines cannot be mixed in the same syringe, so you will receive two separate injections. 

Is vaccination compulsory? 

No. Although the strongly recommends everyone in the various risk categories to get vaccinated, it is up to every individual whether to do so. 

Is it possible to get vaccinated even if I am not over 65 or in a risk group? 

It is no longer possible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or flu through Denmark’s national vaccination programme if you are not in one of the recommended categories, after the country’s health authorities stopped offering paid vaccinations.  

But it remains possible to get vaccinated at a private vaccination centre, such as the SikkerRejse chain found in most Danish towns. The chain, which has a waiting list, offers doses of the latest Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine for a total price of 995 kroner. 

SHOW COMMENTS