It is only a month since hairdressers and other service industries classed as liberale erhverv, and barely a fortnight since restaurants and bars could reopen, but already the number of cases is on the rise.
Some 1,023 new daily cases were reported on Friday and 1,012 on Thursday, take case numbers back to levels last reported in mid-January.
As well as a rising number of identified cases, the share of those being tested who turn out to be positive is also at the highest level since the end of January, at 0.51 percent on Friday, meaning about one in every 200 people who take a test is positive.
Denmark’s health minister Magnus Heunicke pointed out on May 4th, as the government reached a parliamentary deal on the next phase of reopening, that Denmark was already on an upward trend.
“The reproduction number is estimated at 1.1, which means we have a gently rising epidemic in Denmark, but that is to be expected given that society is reopening,” he said. “On Thursday, we’re opening even more so let’s remember all that good advice on distance, hygiene, and testing.”
Kontakttallet er beregnet til 1,1. Tyder på en let stigende epidemi i Danmark, men det er forventeligt i takt med, at samfundet genåbner. På torsdag åbner endnu mere, så lad os huske de gode råd om afstand, hygiejne og test, så genåbningen sker forsvarligt. Tak. #COVID19dk pic.twitter.com/tVQitEnTJw
— Magnus Heunicke (@Heunicke) May 4, 2021
According to Christian Wejse, a specialist in infectious diseases at Aarhus University, the four-month high in the daily number of cases is no reason to panic.
“I wouldn’t say I’m worried,” he told The Local. “It’s to be expected that will see an increase in numbers given the reopening. It’s more of a surprise that we haven’t seen it so far, given the reopening we’ve had since mid-February, when we brought the youngest back to school.”
“So far, we’ve focused on opening sectors with very low risk, such as elementary schools, now we’re moving onto much higher risk area such as bars and fitness centres, and, perhaps more importantly, people are also starting to see more people privately as well.”
He cautioned that rise in the percentage of positive tests could be at least partly explained by the large number of rapid tests being taken, which are not included in the test figures. People who learn they are positive through a rapid test then get PCR tests.
On Thursday, Denmark’s infectious disease agency said that 369,598 rapid tests had been taken over the past day.
Will Denmark have a delayed third wave?
By keeping some restrictions in place for more than four months, Denmark has not suffered a third wave like those seen in Sweden, France, and Germany.
But has it avoided a third wave or simply postponed it?

Ny milepæl i vaccinationsindsatsen. Hver fjerde dansker har nu påbegyndt vaccination. Et kæmpe tak til alle jer, der arbejder benhårdt for at få vaccinerne ud. Og til danskerne for tålmodigheden. Vi fortsætter arbejdet 🇩🇰💪🏻 #covid19dk pic.twitter.com/cxwnNTFWlE
— Magnus Heunicke (@Heunicke) May 7, 2021
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