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HEALTH

Coronavirus deaths in Denmark rise by 22

There have been 22 new deaths from the coronavirus in Denmark since Friday, bringing the national total to 161, according to Statens Serum Institute.

Published: 4 April 2020 15:47 CEST
Coronavirus deaths in Denmark rise by 22
A doctor performs a mouth swab on a patient to test for Covid-19 in a new tent extension of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, April 2, 2020: AFP

There are now 4077 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Denmark –  320 more than Friday. This figure may be much higher because not everyone with symptoms is tested.

While the number of deaths and confirmed cases have increased, the number of hospital admissions dropped for the third day. As of Saturday, 507 patients were in hospital with coronavirus in Denmark, ten fewer than on Friday. Of those, 142 were in intensive care, one less than Friday and 112 needed a respirator.

Earlier in the week, the Danish Health Authority changed its coronavirus strategy to allow doctors to order tests for those with mild symptoms, if they live with vulnerable people or are for some reason unable or unlikely to self-isolate.

Currently, the country is testing only those with moderate to severe symptoms, those in risk groups such as the elderly and chronically ill, and health personnel.

Helene Bilsted Probst, who runs the authority's planning department, told Danish public broadcaster DR on Thursday that she believed the new guidelines could more than triple the number of tests carried out. 

On Thursday, the Danish Regions for the first time achieved its ambition to conduct at least 5000 coronavirus tests per day. The number is expected to increase to 10,000 next week and after Easter the aim is to test 15,000 patients per day.

On Monday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark will be able to begin “a gradual, quiet and controlled opening” after Easter, if numbers remain stable and people adhere to distancing advice.

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Published: 14 June 2024 07:42 CEST
Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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