New Danish Covid-19 restrictions to be discussed amid Omicron outbreak
The Danish government will “work towards” a briefing on Wednesday at which new Covid-19 restrictions could be announced, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
The PM's message came after the record for daily new Covid-19 cases was again smashed on Tuesday and health authorities said the Omicron variant was now being transmitted through society.
Up to now, authorities have been able to trace cases of the new variant to recent travel, but efforts to do this will not continue.
6,324 new cases of the coronavirus were registered on Tuesday, a new record for the pandemic by some distance.
Meanwhile, the Danish Patient Safety Authority said 398 incidences of the Omicron variant had been detected since it was first confirmed in Denmark at the end of November.
“We now have societal spread of the Omicron variant,” Anette Lykke Petri, director of the Danish Patient Safety Authority, said at a briefing.
The Danish Health Authority is no longer asking contacts of contacts, or “third links” to suspected Omicron cases, to isolate, the authority’s director Søren Brostrøm said at the briefing.
There must be “proportionality in what we do” in regard to contact tracing, Brostrøm said.
“Society must be kept open as much as possible through the winter,” he added.
The health director also said there were signs existing Covid-19 vaccines offer protection against serious illness with the Omicron variant, broadcaster DR writes.
Henrik Ullum, head of the national infectious disease agency SSI, said there is “still much we don’t know” about the variant.
Frederiksen said on Tuesday afternoon that the government was “working towards a briefing tomorrow where we can hopefully give a clear message” on new restrictions.
The government must await recommendations from its independent advisory board, the Epidemic Commission, and seek approval of any measures by the representative parliamentary Epidemic Committee, before it can implement restrictions.
As such, a briefing to announce new restrictions is yet to be confirmed as of Tuesday evening.
Frederiksen did not give details of potential measures but said the government would “do all we can to avoid a lockdown like we’ve been through before”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Frederiksen said in parliament on Tuesday that new measures were a possibility given the rapid spread of the variant.
READ ALSO: Dozens more Omicron Covid-19 cases detected in Denmark
“It’s going frighteningly fast. The vaccination effort is therefore now being sped up. Even more Danes must be vaccinated faster. That applies to first, second and third doses,” she said.
“We are following developments very closely several times a day. Authorities are now considering whether further necessary measures are needed. We must and can not let the pandemic run wild in Denmark,” she said.
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 500,000 people weekly from next week.
Over 33,000 new infections (including all variants) were registered last week.
The number of patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 is also being monitored closely according to Frederiksen.
“These are numbers we’re keeping a close eye on. But concerns at the moment revolve primarily around the new variant Omicron, which is spreading quickly,” she said.
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The PM's message came after the record for daily new Covid-19 cases was again smashed on Tuesday and health authorities said the Omicron variant was now being transmitted through society.
Up to now, authorities have been able to trace cases of the new variant to recent travel, but efforts to do this will not continue.
6,324 new cases of the coronavirus were registered on Tuesday, a new record for the pandemic by some distance.
Meanwhile, the Danish Patient Safety Authority said 398 incidences of the Omicron variant had been detected since it was first confirmed in Denmark at the end of November.
“We now have societal spread of the Omicron variant,” Anette Lykke Petri, director of the Danish Patient Safety Authority, said at a briefing.
The Danish Health Authority is no longer asking contacts of contacts, or “third links” to suspected Omicron cases, to isolate, the authority’s director Søren Brostrøm said at the briefing.
There must be “proportionality in what we do” in regard to contact tracing, Brostrøm said.
“Society must be kept open as much as possible through the winter,” he added.
The health director also said there were signs existing Covid-19 vaccines offer protection against serious illness with the Omicron variant, broadcaster DR writes.
Henrik Ullum, head of the national infectious disease agency SSI, said there is “still much we don’t know” about the variant.
Frederiksen said on Tuesday afternoon that the government was “working towards a briefing tomorrow where we can hopefully give a clear message” on new restrictions.
The government must await recommendations from its independent advisory board, the Epidemic Commission, and seek approval of any measures by the representative parliamentary Epidemic Committee, before it can implement restrictions.
As such, a briefing to announce new restrictions is yet to be confirmed as of Tuesday evening.
Frederiksen did not give details of potential measures but said the government would “do all we can to avoid a lockdown like we’ve been through before”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Frederiksen said in parliament on Tuesday that new measures were a possibility given the rapid spread of the variant.
READ ALSO: Dozens more Omicron Covid-19 cases detected in Denmark
“It’s going frighteningly fast. The vaccination effort is therefore now being sped up. Even more Danes must be vaccinated faster. That applies to first, second and third doses,” she said.
“We are following developments very closely several times a day. Authorities are now considering whether further necessary measures are needed. We must and can not let the pandemic run wild in Denmark,” she said.
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 500,000 people weekly from next week.
Over 33,000 new infections (including all variants) were registered last week.
The number of patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 is also being monitored closely according to Frederiksen.
“These are numbers we’re keeping a close eye on. But concerns at the moment revolve primarily around the new variant Omicron, which is spreading quickly,” she said.
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