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COVID-19 RULES

Danish government says it will scale down Covid-19 rapid test centres

The capacity for Covid-19 testing in Denmark will be reduced from 500,000 to 200,000 rapid antigen tests per day, with more focus on home testing, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday.

A March 2021 file photo from a rapid Covid-19 test centre in Copenhagen. The rapid test centres are to be reduced in capacity in favour of home testing.
A March 2021 file photo from a rapid Covid-19 test centre in Copenhagen. The rapid test centres are to be reduced in capacity in favour of home testing. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

In addition to reducing the number of available tests, the country’s strategy will be “revised in close dialogue with health authorities and external partners,” the ministry said in a statement.

Regional health authorities are responsible for operating PCR test centres in Denmark while rapid antigen tests are offered at privately-run centres contracted to the government.

It is the private test providers whose capacity will be scaled back from 500,000 daily tests to 200,000 daily tests over the next two weeks, with more emphasis to be placed on home testing.

The PCR testing capacity is currently 200,000 tests per day, according to the ministry statement, though official data on Friday showed 268,092 PCR tests had been administered during the last day. PCR tests are not currently available within 24 hours in all locations in Denmark.

Denmark set its latest record for daily Covid-19 infections on Friday, registering over 46,000 new confirmed cases. Test results from the private rapid test centres are not included in this statistic. People who return a positive result from a quick test are advised to then book a PCR test to confirm they have Covid-19.

READ ALSO: Denmark records almost 47,000 new Covid-19 cases

Official data showed 252,522 rapid tests to have been administered in Denmark during the last day on Thursday and 257,386 on Friday.

“Vaccines and easy access to testing have been our Danish super-weapon all the way through the epidemic. We are one of the countries in the world which has tested the most and has come furthest with the third (booster) vaccine dose,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in the statement.

“This is positively reflected in the number of hospitalisations (with Covid-19) and enables us to now wind down the large test capacity and use more home testing, which is a good alternative,” Heunicke said.

Home testing, not commonplace in Denmark in 2021, is now in use at schools, childcare institutions, in the elderly care sector and in the health and social care sector. Home tests are set to be further distributed by regions and municipalities.

READ ALSO: When are Covid-19 home tests used in Denmark?

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COVID-19 RULES

Denmark gives mink farmer suspended sentence for illegal breeding

A mink breeder located in West Jutland has been handed a fine and suspended prison sentence for keeping the animals while a national ban on the trade was in place.

Denmark gives mink farmer suspended sentence for illegal breeding

The breeder was prosecuted for continuing to breed minks while a ban against the trade was in place due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The breeder, based in West Jutland village Thyholm, was found to have 126 minks at his farm during an inspection in December 2021.

The conditional prison sentence, given after a ruling at the Holstebro Court, includes a community service requirement. The company with which the farmer is director must pay a fine of 100,000 kroner.

Denmark banned mink breeding in late 2020 over concerns about potential Covid variants that could emerge from the farms. The ban was lifted at the end of last year.

During the trial, the farmer claimed the animals weren’t his, and that he was looking after them for someone else.

“It was minks I looked after for others. They [the owners, ed.] came by and checked them,” he is reported to have said.

Private ownership of up to five minks was permitted while the ban on fur breeding was in place.

During the inspection, the Danish Veterinary and Food Agency (Fødevarestyrelsen) found the animals being kept “in farm-like conditions” with feed and medicines also discovered at the address.

A vet from the agency said during the trial that he was in no doubt that breeding was at play.

“They were kept in cages that millions of other minks were kept in. The cages were fastened with plastic strips so there was nothing to suggest this was pets,” he said.

The agency culled all 126 minks during the inspection, in line with Denmark’s Covid-19 controls at the time.

The farmer is reported to be considering an appeal against the decision.

READ ALSO: Half of Denmark’s mink breeders did not take Covid-19 tests despite requests

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