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COVID-19

Denmark has world’s highest Covid-19 infection rate

Denmark on Monday again reported record daily coronavirus cases and now has the highest recorded incidence of the virus in the world.

Published: 28 December 2021 11:40 CET
Updated: 28 December 2021 13:26 CET
People queue for Covid-19 tests in Køge in November 2021. Denmark currently has the world's highest recorded incidence for the coronavirus.
People queue for Covid-19 tests in Køge in November 2021. Denmark currently has the world's highest recorded incidence for the coronavirus. Photo: Claus Bech/Ritzau Scanpix

Monday’s daily infection total was the highest in Denmark throughout the pandemic as the Omicron variant continues to make its mark on the data, having last week become the dominant form of the virus in the country.

The figure exceeded 15,000 for the first time, with health authorities registering 16,164 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours. The 16,164 positive results came from 130,686 PCR tests, giving a remarkably high positivity rate of 12.4 percent.

With its population of 5.8 million, Denmark now has the world’s highest infection rate with 1,612 cases per 100,000 people. 

The five countries with the highest case rates over the last seven days were all European, according to statistics compiled by news wire AFP and drawn from official sources.

The numbers, taken from statistics bureau Our World in Data on December 27th, place Denmark as the country with the highest incidence of the virus.

It should be noted that there is a large variation in the amount of testing undertaken by different countries, with Denmark among the countries that tests the most per resident.

Other metrics show Denmark in a more favourable light.

These include the number of people hospitalised with the coronavirus. 608 people or 105 per one million residents are currently admitted to Danish hospitals with the virus.

The latter figure is significantly lower than in a number of other European countries. In Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary it is over 600, while the figure for France is 250 hospital Covid-19 patients per one million residents.

Neighbouring Sweden and Norway had 51 and 65 hospital patients with Covid-19 respectively in figures dating from just before Christmas, though Sweden’s hospitalisation figures have since spiked markedly.

The week before Christmas saw Denmark register 21 deaths with Covid-19 per million inhabitants. Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Croatia posted figures up to 4-5 times higher, though it should be noted that different countries have different criteria for the data.

The Omicron variant has once again turned Europe into a global hotspot for the virus in recent weeks.

READ ALSO: Travellers returning to Denmark after Christmas must take Covid-19 test

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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. 

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