Corona – Rejects “infection party strategy”
In recent days, Denmark has had a high infection pressure with around 25,000 daily cases of infection. Thus, our neighboring country is at the top of the countries with the most infection in Europe.
Denmark has long had the same corona strategy as Norway, with the main goal of slowing the spread of infection to avoid straining the health care system.
One of the country’s foremost infection control experts says TV 2 that Denmark should use the omikron variant to get out of the pandemic.
– We know that many will be infected in the long run, so we must go more into a strategy called «the green wave». This means that we must try to adjust the infection so that the hospitals are not overloaded, says Lone Simonsen to Dagbladet, professor at Roskilde University and head of the research center PandemiX Center.
Simonsen has also been an expert advisor to the government in Denmark during the pandemic.
Believes omikron misinterpreted
Robust immune system
As more people become infected, experts believe that it may be a good strategy to achieve greater flock immunity in the population, both with the vaccine and with the virus itself.
– We will get a broader immunity if you are vaccinated and become infected with the virus naturally. There is a lot of research to suggest that now. If you have both undergone infection from the virus and have immunity through vaccination, then the immune system will be more robust to new variants, says Simonsen.
However, she points out that she does not recommend going to a so-called «infection party».
– Someone can still get seriously ill from the virus. But if you become infected and have a mild course of the disease, then you can rest assured that you get natural antibodies, she says.
![THE WAY OUT: Epidemologist Lone Simonsen was referred to as «pandemic-Lone» in Denmark. She believes the omicron may be the way out of the pandemic. Photo: Kristian Ridder-Nielsen / Dagbladet THE WAY OUT: Epidemologist Lone Simonsen was referred to as «pandemic-Lone» in Denmark. She believes the omicron may be the way out of the pandemic. Photo: Kristian Ridder-Nielsen / Dagbladet](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/74959025.jpg?imageId=74959025&width=980&height=559)
THE WAY OUT: Epidemologist Lone Simonsen was referred to as «pandemic-Lone» in Denmark. She believes the omicron may be the way out of the pandemic. Photo: Kristian Ridder-Nielsen / Dagbladet
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– Stress on the health care system
In Norway, the strategy is to continue to slow down the spread of infection. Nevertheless, it is expected that many will be infected sooner or later in the coming months.
Health director Bjørn Guldvog rejects the possibility of a strategy where many are infected to “get it over with”.
– It is true that the disease will not be so serious for very many now, who are fully vaccinated, but if we get very many infected at the same time we will see a very large sickness absence and a great burden on the health service and our hospitals, he says to Dagbladet.
![- The vaccine saves lives - The vaccine saves lives](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/75066553.jpg?imageId=75066553&x=8&y=35.087719298246&cropw=84&croph=41.520467836257&width=980&height=559)
– The vaccine saves lives
Guldvog adds that we are therefore dependent on delaying the spread of infection to prevent everyone from becoming ill at the same time.
– We tolerate significantly more than before because we are protected by vaccines. But we can have such a rapid flourishing that it will not be manageable, says Guldvog, who also says that work is underway to calculate how much society can now tolerate.
Not convinced
On the NRK program Dagsnytt 18 stated the director of the National Institute of Public Health, Frode Forland, on Wednesday that it might not be a bad argument to «just get it over with». Nevertheless, he points out that they do not recommend that the infection spread in society.
For Dagbladet, Forland elaborates that although it turns out that omicron can give a milder course of the disease, we do not know how many will become serious.
![- Will have a couple of tough months - Will have a couple of tough months](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/75067499.jpg?imageId=75067499&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&width=327&height=187)
– Will have a couple of tough months
– We think it is important that we continue to have control. The strategic thing is that we must spare the health care system that is under pressure now. That is why we do not want many people to get sick at the same time, he says.
Forland says that we still do not know enough about corona and that the health authorities do not want to release the infection in society.
![NO WARRANTY: Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Frode Forland, believes that there is no guarantee that you can not get a reinfection with corona after a breakthrough disease. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB NO WARRANTY: Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Frode Forland, believes that there is no guarantee that you can not get a reinfection with corona after a breakthrough disease. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/75076983.jpg?imageId=75076983&width=980&height=559)
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In contrast to the Danish corona expert, Forland says that the Norwegian health authorities are not as convinced that omikron will be able to provide lasting protection against other new varieties.
– If you become infected, it is not a guarantee that you can not get corona again. In Denmark, they report, among other things, that many are now getting reinfection. There are many who have previously had corona who are now infected with the omicron variant, he says.
No guarantee
Assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad tells Dagbladet that it is likely that you are better protected against being infected again if you get omikron at the same time as you have been vaccinated.
Like we said, there is no guarantee that you will not be infected again.
![- Does not look so good - Does not look so good](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/75068143.jpg?imageId=75068143&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&width=980&height=559)
– Does not look so good
Therefore, he points out that Simonsen has a theory and that other Danish experts say otherwise.
– If you have a vaccinated population that is well protected against serious diseases, then the consequence is that fewer people become infected, and if it builds an immunity, then it can be beneficial. But it is not certain that the immunity is lasting, so it is not certain that it will serve you as well as you think, Nakstad tells Dagbladet.
Fewer corona inpatients
Simonsen believes that when omikron properly takes root in society, hospitalizations also lead to people or staying stable.
The National Institute of Public Health in Denmark, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), has throughout the pandemic reported the total number of hospital admissions with corona. Thus, there are also patients who are not hospitalized due to corona included in this statistic.
Well, however, they have published a report in which they for the first time show how many of the patients are hospitalized with and because of corona, according to the Danish newspaper BT.
![- A lot of debris in the machinery - A lot of debris in the machinery](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/73431770.jpg?imageId=73431770&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&width=980&height=559)
– A lot of debris in the machinery
According to high from SSI On Friday, 755 people were admitted to hospitals with corona.
– 25 percent of patients in hospitals with corona are not hospitalized because of corona. It can be anything from having a used arm to giving birth, and accidentally testing positive for the virus. We expect that this percentage will increase over time, says Simonsen.
Therefore, she believes that it is positive that omikron becomes so dominant that the variant takes over for delta.
– A significant proportion of those admitted to hospitals have the delta variant. Therefore, we expect that when omikron has taken over completely, hospital admissions will not increase drastically. This is a positive development for us, says Simonsen and adds:
– We must reconsider the test strategy very soon and rather focus on more tests in hospitals and nursing homes.
The entire health service
In Norway, there are 280 people on Friday, who are hospitalized with corona as the main cause.
Nakstad points out that if the infection spreads uncontrollably in society, and that many become infected at the same time, then one must look at the capacity of the entire health service, and not just the hospitals.
![Towards Raymond Towards Raymond](https://www.dagbladet.no/images/75065808.jpg?imageId=75065808&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&width=980&height=559)
Towards Raymond
He says municipalities report both challenging or critical approaches in person.
– This means that nursing homes that tend to have more nurses at work in the evening and at night, now may only have one person at work. This means that play guards who usually drive around on sick leave can no longer do this, says Nakstad and adds:
– When it comes to the hospitals, it is clear that when you have such required patients admitted, other activity must be reduced.