Last Week in Denmark (28.11 - 05.12) Episode 41
Omicron is here! Fehmarn Belt; Textile masks; Nurses crisis
Editor HQ
Two more editions (12 and 19 dec) until the “Last Week in Denmark” team will go into a well-deserved vacation. We will come back in January 2022 with renewed creative energies and new features to our beloved newsletter.
Call to action: Help us go in the right direction, by replying to this mail, with the answers to the following questions and we will use the answers to craft the 2022 strategy plan.
Why do you read this newsletter?
How could we improve the newsletter? In terms of subjects covered, language used, way of presenting the information, graphic aspect, etc.
What new features would you like to see? F.ex. a podcast, a live show, a website with more in-depth articles, covering stories about non-Danes in Denmark, etc.
Public Health HQ
Status: 78% of the population has been vaccinated (4.580.168 people). 76% of the population received the second vaccine shot (4.463.547 people). 15,6% of the population received the booster shot (914.751 people).
The region with the highest vaccination rate - North Denmark (79,8%).
From now on, you can also get vaccinated at your family doctor. The regional governments have entered into an agreement with PLO (General Practitioners Organization), to supplement the vaccination efforts. However, participation is voluntary for each family doctor, so you can choose another one if yours refuses. You can find a list of GPs that agreed to vaccinate on your region website.
Corona infection status: There is an average of 4500 new infected people every day. 449 people are hospitalized. The region with the highest rate of infection is the Capital Region (Copenhagen and suburbs). The region with the lowest rate of infection is North Denmark.
The age group with the highest infection rate - children between 6 and 11 years old. Most of the people that are hospitalized are not vaccinated.
Test yourself for corona: From mid-December, students from primary and secondary education will receive self-test kits that they can use at home with the help of their parents. A positive result must be announced by the parents. A negative result will not lead to a temporary corona pass.
Omicron - the new mutation: On 26th November, WHO (World Health Organization) designated variant B.1.1.529 aka omicron as a dangerous variant with several mutations that can change how it is being transmitted, the severity of the illness and the response to the vaccine. Six cases have been found in Denmark so far (five people that travelled to South Africa and one that travelled to Qatar). Moderna is working on a booster vaccine shot against the corona variant omicron that should be ready by March 2022.
Travel Guidelines: New restrictions due to Omicron.
Fully vaccinated, previously infected and people with a negative test can enter Denmark without restrictions*. If you are not vaccinated or previously infected and without a negative test, you must take one in Denmark in the first 24 hours.
*South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Malawi and Zambia turned “red” on the map, which means travel to and from there is discouraged. If you arrived from there in the last 10 days, you need to take a test immediately and enter isolation for 10 days. From now on, you can enter Denmark from that area, only with a “recognizable purpose” and a “negative test”.
Also, from 1st December, all passengers coming from Doha and Dubai airports (the list might expand soon), need to be tested upon arrival in Denmark.
Fake corona pass: People have started to counterfeit corona passports. Be aware! If you are discovered, that will lead to prison between 20 and 40 days. First cases of fake corona passes have been discovered at the football match Randers-CFR Cluj.
Vaccine against influenza: The Danish Health Authority recommends that all children between 2 and 6 years old must be vaccinated against the flu. The vaccine is given as a “nasal spray”. So far, 24% of the children have been vaccinated. From now on, besides going to your family doctor, you can also vaccinate your child at the nearest pharmacy, without needing an appointment. You can follow the flu season here.
Danish Politics HQ
Nurses are encouraged to resign. Under the name #kollektivopsigelse, a few of the leaders of the illegal strikes have resigned from their jobs as nurses and want others to follow their example, to amplify the conflict with the regional governments. The Council of the Danish Nurses condemns the encouragement. A collective termination would be a breach of the collective agreement and the nurses that join the action will be fined.
Thoughts of resigning are present also among people working within the ambulance service. They blame work pressure, lack of confidence in the management and staff shortage. Most of the paramedics plan to not renew their contract once it expires on the 1st of January 2023.
Danish Economy HQ
Fehmarn Belt: The Danish island of Lolland has attracted in the last two years many families of internationals that work on the Fehmarn Belt. This has led to massive efforts to make the island more welcoming to internationals (f.ex. an international school in English).
Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is an 18 kilometres immersed tunnel that is currently being constructed between the island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn, in the Baltic Sea. Once finished in 2029, it will become the world’s largest road and rail tunnel.
In June 2015, €589m of EU funding was awarded to Denmark by the European Commission under its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) scheme, which represents up to 10% of the total investment value.
The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and its double-tracks will shorten the rail journey from Hamburg to Copenhagen from four hours and 58 minutes to three hours and 15 minutes.
Danske Bank: The bank has broken the data protection rules for 250,000 customers.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Textile masks: The Danish Environment Agency has examined 40 different types of textile masks and determined that there is no health risk when using them. However, you still need to wash them.
Children cosmetics: The Consumer Council (Forbrugerrådet) has found dangerous chemicals in cosmetic products for children and advises parents to avoid them. You can use the app Kemiluppen, to scan the products and see if they contain harmful substances.
Danish Sportsman/Sports Team of the year: 15 sportsmen and teams have been nominated for the 2021 Sportsman/Sports Team of the Year award.
Viktor Akelsen (badminton, Olympic gold winner);
Emma Aastrand Jørgensen (kayaking; Olympic bronze);
Tobias Thorning Jørgensen (paradressure);
Lisa Gjessing (para taekwondo);
Men’s National Football team (European Championship semifinalists);
Men's National Handball team (World Cup gold, Olympic silver);
Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Leth (track cycling, Olympic silver);
Jesper Hansen (shooting, Olympic silver);
Anne-Marie Rindom (sailing, Olympic gold);
Jonas Vingegaard (cycling, No.2 Tour de France);
Frederic Vystavel and Joachim Sutton (rowing, Olympic bronze);
Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv (track cycling, Olympic gold);
Kasper Asgreen (cycling);
Pernille Blume (swimming, Olympic bronze);
Help for young people with paedophile fantasies: Red Barnet has made a website, where young people with paedophile fantasies can seek help to contain the disease at an early stage.
A vestige of Danish culture: “Telefonservice Frøken Klokken” aka the telephone service “Miss Clock” that since 1939 could tell you the exact hour, will be retired from 30th November. In 1939, the service was used 11.6 million times per year; now it has declined to 5,000 calls per month. Read more here.
The World in 2021 HQ
Barbados: The island left the Commonwealth (which is ruled by the Queen of Britain) and became a republic. The last country to leave the Commonwealth was Mauritius in 1992.
Guadeloupe: France says that it is willing to discuss greater autonomy for Guadeloupe if "it is in the interests of the people who live there". The Caribbean archipelago has experienced violent demonstrations in recent days, and Guadeloupian officials have raised the issue of autonomy with France.
Mexico: Researchers from the University of Mexico discovered two new antibiotic molecules inside the venom of a scorpion, which may hold the properties to stop several different kinds of harmful bacteria and tumor cells.
European Union HQ
Greece: The government announced that anyone over the age of 60 who is not corona vaccinated will face a monthly fine of €100 from 16 January.
Czech Republic: Petr Fiala is the new prime minister of the Czech Republic. The center-right leader is replacing billionaire populist Andrej Babis.
France: The French parliament has voted to make school bullying a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison.