The head of the Danish state serum institute, Tyra Grove Krause, believes the omicron variant of the coronavirus will bring the end of the pandemic. “In two months we will have our normal life again,” said the epidemiologist in an interview with the Danish broadcaster TV 2.
A study by the Serum Institute has shown that the risk of hospitalization with the Omikron variant is only half as high as with the Delta variant. This gives the Danish authorities hope that the Covid-19 pandemic in Denmark could be over in two months.
According to the study, Omikron will ensure a massive spread of the infections in the coming months. But: “When it’s over, we’ll be in a better position than before,” says the paper.
Omikron will “peak at the end of January”
While the number of infections is skyrocketing in the countries affected by Omikron, it has been shown, according to Krause, that the course of the disease is milder than with the Delta variant and therefore more people are infected without showing any serious symptoms.
As a result, the Danish population will soon have good immunity. At the same time, Krause emphasizes that there is still a lot to be done to defeat the pandemic in the coming months. Because for the time being, the spread of Omikron will continue to burden the Danish health system. “We have to work hard in January because it will be difficult to get through.”
The epidemiologist is convinced that Omikron will “reach its peak at the end of January, and in February we will see falling infection pressure and a decreasing burden on the health system”. Krause reminds that the Danes should continue to follow the measures to contain the spread of corona: Good hygiene, social distancing wherever possible and quarantine at home if symptoms occur.
56% omicron cases: Omikron is raging brutally in Switzerland(00:48)
Corona will probably not go away completely
According to Krause, the coronavirus will not go away completely, even after two months: “In the long term, we are in a situation in which the coronavirus is there, but we have contained it and only the most vulnerable people will have to be vaccinated by the next winter season ».
Denmark has seen a sharp increase in new infections in recent weeks and reported the highest number of infections a week on Sunday at 20,886 daily. That is 3,593 per million inhabitants. The highest number of new infections every day was reported on December 27, 2021 at 41,035.
With 5.8 million inhabitants, the Danish population is slightly smaller than Switzerland (8.6 million). According to the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), the seven-day average in Switzerland is 14,692 (as of December 28, 2021).
The fact that Omikron is probably less dangerous than previous variants was already noticeable on the stock exchange: The shares of Biontech and Moderna suffered heavy dampers on Monday. Biontech went out of business with a minus of a good ten percent to $ 231.85, Moderna lost 7.5 percent and stood at $ 235.05 in the end. (noo)