Now everyone in Denmark must be infected:
Denmark has been at the peak of infection in Europe in the last 14 days, with 3647 infected per 100,000 inhabitants.
Before the winter, the Danes had the same corona strategy as Norway, with the main goal of curbing the pandemic to avoid congestion in the health service.
Well, one of the country’s foremost infection control experts says that Denmark will use omikron to get out of the pandemic.
New strategy
Lone Simonsen is a professor at Roskilde University, and heads the research center PandemiX Center.
In Denmark she has become known as «pandemic-Lone». Well, she tells TV 2 that Danes only want to control the pace of the spread of infection in the future.
– We now know that everyone will probably be infected in the next few months, so we try to adjust the infection so that it does not overwhelm the hospitals, she says.
She points out that the omicron infection in countries such as Canada, England and South Africa is spreading rapidly, while the risk of inbreeding is significantly less than for the delta variant.
– The vaccines continue to have an effect against serious diseases, hospitalizations and death. So therefore we only try to control the spread rate, says Simonsen.
The head of the Danish Statens Serum Institutt, Tyra Grove Krause, said in early January that she expects January to be tough, but that Denmark will be finished with the pandemic in two months.
A way out, also for the rest of the world
The reason for this, says Simonsen, is that they believe a mixture of infection with omicron and vaccine will make the population better equipped to deal with the virus, even if new mutants should appear.
– I expect that if you are both vaccinated and infected with omicron, then you will develop hyperimmunity. This will provide robust and long-lasting protection against new virus variants in the future, she says.
Well, Simonsen thinks Denmark is leading the way and proposing a way out, also for the rest of the world. If the Danes are right, we will take back everyday life for good already in the spring.
– It is new to just let the infection spread in the population. We believe that this is during our time and that this was the last Christmas that was affected by the pandemic. In the future, we will live with winter epidemics of the virus which must be controlled in the same way as we handle seasonal flu, says Simonsen.
Will prevent super-spreader events
Simonsen says that Denmark wants to get crowds in close contact which can lead to super-spreader incidents.
– We assume this happens live, and it is logical to think that people will be more drunk later in the evening. Furthermore, we know that you are more likely to forget to take care of yourself and stay close to others when you are drunk.
Therefore, Denmark will continue with the use of face masks indoors, where there are many people, and it has been limited to how many can stay together.
– We do not know much about how much effect each individual measure has, but the measures work together, Simonsen says.
Doubtful to the strategy
The main focus in Norway continues to be to prevent congestion in the health service.
Assistant health director Espen Nakstad says that the Norwegian health authorities are not convinced that omicron infection can provide more lasting protection.
– Omikron reduces the risk of serious illness, and the vaccine, together with immunity after being infected, provides «super protection». Why do not you think that it is a better strategy to let as many people as possible get infected now?
– It is not safe to review the disease now provides more lasting protection and vaccination, although one may get a broader immunity. The consideration that the health care system should not be overloaded is important regardless, and it is affected by how many people are infected at the same time, says Nakstad.
Am unsure of the consequences
Chief physician at FHI, Preben Aavitsland, says that the only thing that prevents Norway from allowing the pandemic to spread freely in society is the consideration for the hospitals.
– What keeps us from letting go of the epidemic completely is that a huge wave and thus also a number of seriously ill people can create an unsustainable situation for the hospitals. That is why we are working to curb the peak of the infection wave, says Aavitsland.
He points out that it is still uncertain whether omikron will lead to many needing hospital admissions. If it does not turn out to be the case, it could mean changes.
– If it turns out that such a peak will not lead to an unsustainable situation for the hospitals, there is less reason to curb this peak through measures, says Aavitsland.
Planning new long-term strategy
TV 2 has asked the government to consider changing the strategy as Danes have done, so that as many people as possible will be infected and achieve hyperimmunity.
Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party) does not answer the question specifically, but says that the Norwegian strategy remains to retain as much control as possible.
– Our strategy is to keep control of the pandemic so that it does not lead to a significant disease burden and increased pressure on the capacity of the municipal health service and the hospitals. At the same time, we work to secure society’s structures and finances, says Kjerkol in an e-mail.
In addition, she says that the government is working on a more long-term plan for the epidemic in Norway.
– We have the existing strategy at the end of November last year. At the same time, we have started the preparations for the work with a long-term strategy for how we should live with covid-19 in society. We must get back to the timetable for this, says the Minister of Health.