Coronavirus

If you watched Dr. Campbell's videos (something I suggest because they are quite informative ) you would know that Denmark's number is a little misleading due to the fact that they have one of the highest rates of testing (meaning that there will be far fewer people infected without being counted as a case).

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/experts-denmark-punished-for-its-efficient-covid-19-testing/

But don't they swab more people than almost anywhere else and isn't their genome testing system better than most.
So it stands to reason they're going to detect more.


From the Washington Post
Denmark’s projections are taken seriously around the world, because they are informed by an all-encompassing coronavirus surveillance system designed specifically for moments like this — when the nature of the virus is quickly shifting.

I'm a bit more informed about Denmark than just eating Danish cookies (my in-laws aren't quiet about it).

Digital health is standard in Denmark. From electronic patient records and medication lists to e-prescriptions and an online health portal: the Danish health system is fully digitalised and networked.

Because the health system is set up in this way, it was possible to reach vulnerable groups quickly and easily in times of pandemic. This has also had an impact on the vaccination rate. In Europe, Denmark is the runner-up behind Iceland in terms of Corona vaccinations.

In addition, the Danish interplay between trust and discipline has had a huge impact on success in the fight against Corona.

[As an aside: Danish is the second official language in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The Danish minority is reprented in the state's parliament and now has an lawmaker in the Federal parliament.]

Ok Walter, I accept your expertise on Denmark.

Is it true that they have an exceptionally good covid testing progem?

I don't know if it is "exceptionally" good, since that depends on from standard you are looking at it.
The >Testing for COVID-19< is similar to ours, ours is easier than the Dutch (due to the latter, many Dutch people take the tests and vaccination here in Germany).

It looks like you are factually incorrect, Walter.

According the the BBC, Denmark did about 4 times as many covid tests per capita as Germany as of September. This is an explanation as to why Denmark has more cases of Covid detected than Germany does.

Denmark also has a higher vaccination rate than Germany (77% to 70%)

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/experts-denmark-punished-for-its-efficient-covid-19-testing/

I might have misunderstood the meaning of



Denmark has administered at least 11,724,765 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 100.8% of the country’s population. (The actual official rate for full vaccination is 90%)

We do have a very low vaccination rate here (we are only 3% above the cumulative in the total population in EU/EEA), didn't see it, sorry for not responding when you asked for admitting that, too.

Germany’s highest court (the Federal Constitutional Court) today published the ruling that disabled people must be protected by legally binding guidelines in case hospitals are forced to introduce a triage system as the country braces itself for a new, more infectious wave of coronavirus.

With this ruling legislators are ordered to create a legal framework that would prevent disabled people from being unfairly treated.

In its ruling the court said that parliament had flouted the constitution, which states that “no person shall be disregarded because of disability”.

The issue has been a matter of debate for years, and the court has been considering the case for the past 18 months, since the issue was brought into sharp relief in the early stages of the pandemic.


Press release Federal Constitutional Court:
The legislator must take effective measures ensuring that persons with disabilities are protected in triage situations caused by the pandemic



The decision was welcomed by the federal health minister Lauterbach, who tweeted that "people with disabilities need the protection of the state more than any other, especially in the case of triage". But he added that Germany now needed to try to prevent triage situations, through "effective protection measures and vaccinations".

Good news (at least, it's good if Omicron is as mild as people expect). Getting sick with Omicron increases your resistance to Delta.

https://twitter.com/sigallab/status/1475584463941914635

This could mean that the massive spread of Omicron will wipe out Delta and the other strains.

Although, there still could be some deaths from Omicron on the horizon. If *everyone* gets Omicron at the same time, even a very small percentage of people requiring hospitalization could still be enough to overwhelm hospital capacity.

Here's a puzzler:

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/covid-outbreak-at-remote-antarctic-station-among-fully-vaccinated-researchers-like-horror-movie-plot

"Two thirds of the 25 staff based at Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth Polar Station have caught the virus, the Le Soir newspaper reported, proving there is no escape from the global pandemic.

All 25 researchers were fully vaccinated and one had a booster shot. Before leaving for the station, they had PCR tests in Belgium two hours before flying to South Africa.

In Cape Town they quarantined for 10 days and took another PCR test.

A further test was needed when leaving for Antarctica and a final one five days after that.

One person tested positive seven days after arriving at the station on Dec 14. The individual was placed in isolation but tests revealed two others had caught the virus.

All three left the station on Dec 23 but the virus has continued to spread.

It is thought to be the omicron variant because that is responsible for 99 per cent of infections in South Africa."

Conclusions: the PCR tests aren't detecting Omicron. Omicron is not killing/severely impacting people the way the Delta did. The restrictions should be lifted.

That's a puzzler, all right. And not the least bit reassuring.

Just saw a headline that an Israeli patient has both flu and covid at once for a first.

teste positive the day after Xmas. HAd a mild headache on MON nd Tues some joint ache. Doing fine now . Were isolated for the next week, concerned of not be coming a spreader.
Happy New year

Glad to hear the symptoms are mild, FM... do you know how you contracted it?

I hope it all goes well for you.

Happy New Year to you too.

Covid numbers are going through the roof here in Australia.

In Victoria we've had more cases in the first 3 days of this year than we had in all of 2021. And the actual numbers have to be much higher than the official ones. We had drive through testing sites closed for a few days due to a heat wave, the ones that did open were only open for a couple of hours in the mornings so the number of people being tested is way down.

I hate to think what the numbers would be if our testing rates were the same as they have been in the past.

That sounds horrible.

Israel has a real problem with avian flu right now, lots of migratory birds are choosing Israel as their final resting place.

Oh thank heaven you're both doing better!