Two schools and eight day care institutions in the central Jutland city of Kolding will remain closed until Friday the 26th.
At the last count, the two schools had a total of 69 infections among staff and students, while up to 20 have been infected at day care centers.
Something strange with the kids
When we talk to DR, Viggo Andreasen, associate professor at Roskilde University, who quickly becomes the country’s favorite mathematical epidemiologist, questions whether there is “something happening with the infection of [the British variant] B117 among children that we have not seen with the old coronavirus ”.
“If we see more examples like this, we have to ask ourselves if it is too risky to open schools to the little ones,” he continued.
“This means that there is a good risk that infection chains will run for some time before we detect them. There are probably also some parents who have been infected. ”
Another wave in April?
Professor Allan Randrup Thomsen, a virologist affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, who advises the government, questions whether there may be a partial reopening of society on 1 March.
“Based on what has happened in Kolding, we can see that there is a great potential for infection with the British variant – even under the restrictions we have now.
“When the UK variant takes over, there will be a marked increase in the number of infected and hospitalized in April.”
Reopens should be small and local
Susanne Ditlevsen, professor of statistics at the University of Copenhagen, agrees.
“It looks difficult. If they are to reopen on March 1, they must be very small – and possibly local as well. We have to give it time every time we reopen to see what happens, ”she said.
“And then we just have to know that we are heading towards brighter times. For spring is coming and the vaccines are coming. It’s just not right now. ”
Looking for patterns
The Agency for Patient Safety is among those analyzing data from Kolding – using the postponement of the current winter half-season, which ends on Sunday – to possibly make a decision on further closures.
“We are trying to look at the numbers to see if it is specific places, areas or age groups that are affected,” explained Charlotte Hjorth, a head of the agency.
There are currently 214 infections per year. 100,000 people in Kolding, which makes it the second most infected municipality in the country after Ishøj.