Danish health officials scold young people as Covid cases continue to rise
Covid infections are on the rise in Denmark and data points to one demographic that's to blame.
Denmark's infectious disease agency, Statens Serum Institut, reported 1,055 new cases of Covid-19 on July 13. That's a 24 percent increase from the previous day's tally of 848 new cases, and continues the trend of rising infections since the end of June.
Denmark is moving in the wrong direction, Åse Bengård Andersen, chief physician at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet, told the Danish news agency Ritzau.
"It still applies that it is the young people who become infected, and this is especially true in Copenhagen and Aarhus," Andersen said.
Almost half of all new infections in the past seven days have been in people aged 20-29. "I'm a little sad to see that," Andersen said. "There are still vulnerable people who may become ill and need to be hospitalised."
In this age bracket, 25-29 year olds received vaccination invitations in early June – but according to SSI data, nearly 40 percent haven't booked their first appointment. And although 20-24 year olds were invited in mid-May, only two percent are fully vaccinated.
READ MORE: How does Denmark's voluntary vaccination system work?
"The status is that we have got them all invited, but that we have half-empty vaccination rooms," Henrik Ullum, director at SSI, told Danish public service television provider TV2.
"It's really, really annoying, because it's a good offer we have for people," Ullum said.
While politicians debate accelerating Denmark's return to normal, Andersen said that the current indicators don't suggest a further loosening of Covid restrictions would be prudent.
Ten more coronavirus patients were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, bringing the national total to 47. And contrary to popular belief, the young can become seriously ill as well – 38 percent of hospitalised patients over the past week were aged 20 to 29.
READ MORE: What Denmark nurses' strike means for you
The percentage of people testing positive also continues to increase, with PCR tests returning 1.26 positives in the past 24 hours, the highest since January 15 according to Ritzau.
The Danish Ministry of Health tweeted that the rising contact number – a measure of how many people each Covid patient is likely to infect – "testifies to a rising epidemic."
Comments (1)
See Also
Denmark's infectious disease agency, Statens Serum Institut, reported 1,055 new cases of Covid-19 on July 13. That's a 24 percent increase from the previous day's tally of 848 new cases, and continues the trend of rising infections since the end of June.
Denmark is moving in the wrong direction, Åse Bengård Andersen, chief physician at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet, told the Danish news agency Ritzau.
"It still applies that it is the young people who become infected, and this is especially true in Copenhagen and Aarhus," Andersen said.
Almost half of all new infections in the past seven days have been in people aged 20-29. "I'm a little sad to see that," Andersen said. "There are still vulnerable people who may become ill and need to be hospitalised."
In this age bracket, 25-29 year olds received vaccination invitations in early June – but according to SSI data, nearly 40 percent haven't booked their first appointment. And although 20-24 year olds were invited in mid-May, only two percent are fully vaccinated.
READ MORE: How does Denmark's voluntary vaccination system work?
"The status is that we have got them all invited, but that we have half-empty vaccination rooms," Henrik Ullum, director at SSI, told Danish public service television provider TV2.
"It's really, really annoying, because it's a good offer we have for people," Ullum said.
While politicians debate accelerating Denmark's return to normal, Andersen said that the current indicators don't suggest a further loosening of Covid restrictions would be prudent.
Ten more coronavirus patients were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, bringing the national total to 47. And contrary to popular belief, the young can become seriously ill as well – 38 percent of hospitalised patients over the past week were aged 20 to 29.
READ MORE: What Denmark nurses' strike means for you
The percentage of people testing positive also continues to increase, with PCR tests returning 1.26 positives in the past 24 hours, the highest since January 15 according to Ritzau.
The Danish Ministry of Health tweeted that the rising contact number – a measure of how many people each Covid patient is likely to infect – "testifies to a rising epidemic."
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.