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Denmark now has the most new COVID-19 cases in the Nordic countries, in terms of number of inhabitants. And for the first time since last spring, there have also been more infections per capita in Norway than in Sweden.
– It’s a bit worrying, says Frode Forland of the National Institute of Public Health.
The evolution in terms of the number of confirmed infections in covid-19 in terms of the number of inhabitants in some of the Nordic countries.
Hundreds of students have been sent home. 17 out of 98 municipalities have crossed the “border of unrest”. And on Monday it was decided that restaurants in Copenhagen and Odense should close at midnight.
Denmark has become the country in the Nordic region with the most confirmed cases of covid-19, in terms of number of inhabitants. This is 2.1 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 1.5 in Norway and 1.1 in Sweden, according to the latest data from Our World in Data, which collects information from the EU infection control unit. ECDC and showing a moving average for the past seven days.
– There may be various explanations why the trend looks different in Sweden, says Lars Østergaard, chief physician at Aarhus University Hospital and professor at Aarhus University, to TT.
– Maybe it’s because more people have had the virus and are still immune. Or maybe the other wave hasn’t arrived yet.
Seen over time, since the pandemic began, Sweden has, however, many more confirmed cases, hospitalized patients, and deaths in covid-19 than Norway and Denmark, also in terms of population size. But it is still clear that the infection is increasing rapidly in neighboring countries.
In Denmark, the first wave subsided at the end of June. After that, the situation was fairly stable in July and into early August, according to Østergaard.
– Then a second wave came to Aarhus, but there the situation returned to normal. But in the last week we have seen more infected in Odense and around Copenhagen.
Denmark is testing many more than in the spring, when they mainly focused on the sick. These were mostly older people, which may partly explain why more younger people now appear in the statistics, according to Østergaard.
– The number of infected increases as many have traveled and got together with each other. Younger people spend more time together, for longer periods and maintain less distance, he says.
– The increase is not just because we tried more. This is an increase both in absolute numbers and in proportion of those evaluated.
The Aarhus eruption prompted local closures and restrictions. Østergaard believes this is the right way to go when the infection is increasing.
– It was a success, a good strategy. If it happens quickly, efficiently and with accurate monitoring of infections, it is enough to prefer drastic large national initiatives.
In Norway, it is the first time since early April that Sweden has had fewer infections per capita than in Norway. The increase can be partly explained by the fact that more are now being tested. But several major outbreaks are also reflected in the statistics, such as in Bergen, where thousands of students are in quarantine, and Østfold County with around 1,200 people in quarantine.
– We see an increase in infection after the summer. It is because of the opening of borders, more trips and that schools have started and therefore also parties linked to the beginning of the semester, says Frode Forland, director of infection control at the National Institute of Public Health, to TT.
– The situation is not as serious as last spring, but a bit worrying.
In Bergen, it is mainly infections among students, around 200 tested positive, most between the ages of 19 and 27. In Sarpsborg in Østfold, the outbreak is related, among other things, to the celebration of a religious holiday. In addition, several minor outbreaks have broken out, but according to Forland, authorities and medical care are aware of the situation.
– We see it as local outbreaks that we are trying to quell. However, there is always the risk that it could be extended further to the general public and that measures will be required at the national level later, he says.
– On the other hand, plans to lift restrictions at the national level have been suspended. Norway was in the process of opening up more and adopting more liberal infection control measures. But now we wait and see.
For residents of various Swedish regions, the quarantine obligation still applies when entering Norway. But if development continues in the right direction, it is hopeful for the situation on the border, according to Forland.
– It’s great that Sweden is falling at roughly the same level as Norway for a long time. But Sweden will likely be affected by local outbreaks here and there as well, which may have an effect on the statistics.
Infected and dead
In Sweden, 85,558 people have been confirmed to be infected with covid-19. 5,837 have died.
In Denmark, 18133 people have been confirmed to be infected with covid-19. 628 have died.
In Norway, 11,387 people have been confirmed to be infected with Covid-19. 264 have died.
Source: Swedish Public Health Agency, Statens serum instituut, Folkehelseinstituttet
