Denmark lifts all remaining Covid-19 restrictions

Denmark has lifted the last restriction on Covid-19. This means returning to the office, no mask, and ending the vaccination passport at the nightclub.

Vaccine passports were introduced in March 2021 when Copenhagen slowly began to relax restrictions.

It was discontinued at all venues on September 1st, but nightclubs are no longer needed today.

“Because there are no restrictions, we are definitely at the forefront of Denmark. With the development of vaccination, we are on the other side of the pandemic,” said Ulric Aurum Petersen, promoter of Live Nation, the organizer of the event. Said.

On Saturday, the sold-out concert in Copenhagen will be the first in Europe to welcome 50,000 people.

Already on September 4, Live Nation hosted its first outdoor festival in Copenhagen, called “Back to Live,” which attracted 15,000 people.

“I’ve forgotten Covid and everything in the last few months because I was in the crowd and singing as before,” said 26-year-old Emily Bendix, who goes to the concert.

The Danish vaccination campaign is progressing rapidly, with 73% of the 5.8 million population fully vaccinated and 96% of the population aged 65 and over vaccinated.

“We are aiming for free movement … what happens now is to find what the virus circulates and is not vaccinated,” said epidemiologist Lone Simonsen.

“Vaccines are no longer a social threat,” said Ms. Simonsen, who works at the University of Roskilde.

According to the World Health Organization, Scandinavian countries benefit from public compliance with government guidelines and adopted Covid strategies.

“Denmark, like many countries, has implemented public health and social measures to reduce infections throughout the pandemic, but at the same time has relied heavily on individuals and communities for voluntary compliance.” WHO Europe Emergency Officer Catherine Smallwood said.

Danish officials say they control the virus with about 500 Covid cases per day and a reproductive rate of 0.7.

However, Health Minister Magnus Hunikke vowed that the government would not hesitate to impose restrictions promptly as needed.

Authorities argue that a return to normal life must be linked to strict hygiene measures and the isolation of sick people.

WHO still considers world affairs at stake and cautions.

Denmark states that it will carefully monitor hospitalizations (currently just under 130) and perform in-depth sequencing to track the virus.

Australia’s Top 1,900 Covid Cases

The daily number of cases of Covid-19 in Australia exceeded 1,900 for the first time in a pandemic. This is because outbreaks from the highly infectious Delta variant continued to occur in locked-down Sydney and the largest city, Melbourne.

Australia is on the verge of a third wave of infection from the Delta outbreak, forcing authorities to abandon the Covid-zero strategy in support of virus suppression.

They are now aiming to begin easing strict restrictions after reaching a higher proportion of the population with double vaccinations.

New South Wales (NSW), the epicenter of the country’s worst outbreak, reported 1,542 new local cases, surpassing a record high of 1,533 hits last week. Nine new deaths have been registered.

“So far, this trajectory is predictable,” New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Berejikrian told a media briefing in the capital city of Sydney.

Ms Berejiklian said the daily Covid-19 media briefing will be discontinued on Monday and updates will be detailed in an online video. This is the approach that was previously used when the number of cases was small.

The increase in cases in Sydney has increased the burden on ambulance staff, doubling the number of Covid-19 patients transported in the last two weeks, reaching a total of about 6,000, officials said.

Approximately 1,156 people are hospitalized in the state, of which 207 are in the intensive care unit, 89 of whom require ventilation.

Despite the incident staying close to record levels, New South Wales officials said yesterday that Sydney’s operations could resume the state’s adult population. The target is expected to be achieved around mid-October.

So far, 76% of people over the age of 16 in the state have been vaccinated at least once, and 44% have been fully vaccinated.

Victoria recorded 334 new cases, the largest increase this year, killing one. Some restrictions in the capital, Melbourne, are expected to be relaxed around September 23, when 70% of the adult population is vaccinated at least once.

The four-step national reopening plan announced by the federal government in July aims to ease some strict restrictions after the country reaches its current 40% to 70-80% immune target. ..

However, some virus-free states have flagged it as potentially delaying interstate travel and other relaxation of restrictions.

The total number of infections in Australia is approximately 70,000, including 1,076 deaths. Data show that higher vaccinations, lower than previous outbreaks, keep mortality in delta outbreaks at 0.41%.

Experts propose “bolder” strategies in Singapore

Singapore is stepping up its Covid-19 test, as some experts see it as being too cautious for vaccine front runners preparing to live with the virus as endemic, leading to increased infections. , Warns that it does not rule out reimbursement of stricter curbs.

The government predicts as many as 2,000 cases per month in its current orbit, as infections double weekly due to highly contagious delta mutants.

However, over 90% of new cases are either asymptomatic or very mild. People who are clinically good but still test positive are quarantined in the facility.

The government has previously stated that it plans to pilot home quarantine for fully vaccinated people.

“It is said that (Singaporeans) need to tighten restrictions again, despite the very low number of severe cases as a result of vaccination rates exceeding 80%,” said Alex, an infectious disease.・ Cook states. Specialist in disease modeling at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“There is a risk that such ambiguity may impair compliance with the guidance in the future.”