Coronavirus Omikron has risen sharply in three European countries, but only places a significant burden on intensive care in France – there is a shortage of staff in the UK

Omicron variant has seen a sharp rise in infection rates across Europe. The extent to which infections become a burden on hospital care, and in particular intensive care, is now being closely monitored in different countries.

The coronary virus prevalence curves in Denmark, France and the United Kingdom have risen almost vertically since the end of December. All of these have recently broken records of daily infections: Britain crossed the new threshold with 218,724 new infections on Tuesday, France reported 332,252 new infections on Wednesday and Denmark 28,283.

In Britain in particular, the need for medical care has also risen sharply. The country’s government said on Saturday that the 150,000 coronation deaths had been exceeded in Britain. However, among the three countries, the burden of intensive care has increased significantly only in France.

Omikron has spread to these countries earlier than Finland and more widely. Despite the differences between countries, their development may also give an indication of the future disease situation in Finland. What can explain all the differences?

In Denmark Director of the National Health Agency SSI Søren Brostrøm has stated that the high levels of infection in Denmark are due “mainly to high testing volumes and very accurate registration”.

Read more: A record 23,000 coronary infections were recorded in Denmark on Wednesday – the number of cases has increased significantly in the Nordic countries

The same is stated by the director of the health safety department of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) Mika Salminen.

“In Denmark, ten percent of the population is tested every day. The figures are therefore not comparable with the figures for other countries, ”says Salminen.

However, due to extensive testing, despite exceptional infection rates in Denmark, it is clear that hospitalization was not needed in the same proportion as in previous waves of the pandemic.

According to Salminen, this is explained, for example, by omikro, which, according to current evidence, leads to hospitalization 40–60 per cent less often than in previous variants.

“Together with extensive vaccine coverage, this has saved us from the tsunami of hospital care like the previous epidemic waves,” says Salminen.

What about do restrictions play a role? A large number of new and wider restrictions were introduced in Denmark on 17 December. For example, the country ‘s entire cultural sector was virtually closed, sporting events were banned and a deadline of 22:00 was set for the end of on – trade.

Read more: Denmark closes entire cultural sector, France restricts British travel – Many countries tighten interest rates significantly again

However, there are no assembly restrictions in the country. The administration only ordered to celebrate the turn of the year in a small group.

According to Salminen, it is difficult to assess the role of restrictions in keeping the workload of hospital care under control.

“We don’t know what the situation would be without restrictions in each country.”

Different restrictions or the chewability of mask recommendations is also not comparable.

“They should be compared one at a time,” says Salminen.

The most important thing, however, is whether the restrictions have prevented people from coming into contact with each other. For example, what kind of facilities are gathered is less important.

“It doesn’t matter what the contacts are.”

In England, whose restrictions are decided by the British administration, have been the loudest in Europe, despite very high rates of infection. No restrictions on gatherings have been imposed by decision of the British administration, and nightclubs, for example, are still open with a corona passport.

According to Salminen, it is important to monitor the corona situation in the area and the load on medical care due to the exceptional line.

“We can learn about Britain’s development in other countries.”

In the BBC’s analysis Infection and hospitalization figures in England show that the need for hospitalization has been lower than in previous waves. The need for ventilators has remained stable during the omicron epidemic despite the increase in infections.

In addition, one-third of coronary-positive patients in hospital in England were in treatment at the beginning of January for something other than the coronavirus. In the autumn, the same share was a quarter.

Data reporter for the British Times on health care statistics in the UK John Burn-Murdoch warns, however, in its own analysis that the number of patients in need of treatment for serious coronary disease is also rising sharply in hospitals, at least in London.

Huge the number of infections threatens the functioning of health care also due to staff infections.

“There is a double problem in healthcare when, in addition to many coronary patients being treated, there are many absences of infected workers,” says Salminen.

On Tuesday, the British administration told the country’s news agency AFP that the country’s hospitals were suffering severely from staff shortages. As many as 15 per cent of staff at Manchester Hospital were on Wednesday According to the BBC coronary infection or otherwise in quarantine, and surgeries were canceled in hospitals in the area.

Prime Minister of the country Boris Johnson promised action to help the worst-affected areas and said, for example, that it would convene volunteer medical professionals with the support of the military.

In France new restrictions came into force on 3 january, including a 2,000-person limit on indoor events and a 5,000-person limit on outdoor events. In addition, previous restrictions – such as the nightclub closure that began on December 10 – continued. They were reported by, among others, the news agency AFP.

Prior to this, France, like Britain, has avoided imposing extensive closures and restricting restaurant opening hours during the omicron epidemic. Access to the restaurants and bars is only possible with a health passport resembling a corona passport.

However, infections and the need for intensive care in the country have started to rise rapidly even before the restrictions.

Turku Professor of Infectious Diseases, University Jarmo Oksi estimates that vaccine coverage is probably one of the most important factors in differences in the burden of hospital care between countries.

In France, 74.1% of the population have received two doses of vaccine. The figure is about five percentage points lower than, for example, 79.7% in Denmark.

Oksi points out that in addition to the proportion of the population that has been vaccinated, it still matters who has not yet been vaccinated. The elderly population is at a significantly higher risk of developing severe coronary heart disease and thus is hospitalized and, at worst, in the intensive care unit.

French according to health authorities only about 1% of the country’s 70-79-year-olds are completely unvaccinated, but 12% of those over 80, 8.3% of those aged 65-69 and 6.9% of those aged 60-64 have not received any vaccine in the other older age groups.

In Denmark According to official statistics compiled by Our World in Data people over the age of 70 are fully vaccinated in the country and about 97 per cent of those aged 60-69.

The French administration is currently working to increase vaccine coverage by tightening the health passport to a vaccine passport. With it, the various services would no longer be available with a fresh negative test result.

The lower house of the French parliament, the National Assembly, gave its approval to the proposal on Thursday. If approved by the country’s Senate next week, the law would come into force on January 15th.

Oksi and THL’s Salminen states that the importance of triple vaccination is greatest in the elderly population.

“The biggest effect of third doses is in older people. For younger people, the difference is not the same, ”says Salminen.

The BBC’s analysis also states that the development of the burden of nursing care in England in the coming weeks will depend on whether a large number of elderly coronavirus patients still come to hospital. To date, third doses of booster vaccines have been shown to prevent a wave of illness in the elderly, for example in London.

Third doses of vaccine most clearly differentiate France from Britain and Denmark, where the third and fourth largest populations in the world have received triple vaccinations.

In Britain, 50.4 per cent of the population had received a third dose of the vaccine on 3 January, and 49.9 per cent in Denmark. In France, the corresponding figure was significantly lower, at 33.9% of the population.