Denmark has taken tough measures against the spread of a mutated form of the corona virus: In the north-west of the country, the people in parts of Jutland were called by the government in Copenhagen not to leave their region yesterday evening. Scientists fear that the virus mutation found in minks and humans could affect the effectiveness of future vaccines.
Over 200 people infected with the mink variant
The Danish health institute SSI announced today that at least 214 people in the country have been infected with the mink variant of the coronavirus since June. 200 of the cases were detected in the North Jutland region.
„(…) Citizens in seven municipalities in North Jutland (are) urged to remain in their region to prevent the spread of the infection,“ said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at a press conference yesterday. More than 280,000 people are affected.
15 to 17 million animals are killed
The government in Copenhagen announced the emergency slaughter of all mink in the country on Wednesday. A mutated form of the coronavirus had previously been found in some animals. This novel form of the virus was also detected in twelve people.
In general, the symptoms of people infected with the mutated virus are not worse than those of other CoV patients. Scientists outside Denmark urged the country to provide more scientific data to better assess the mutation.
„The world’s eyes are on us“
“The world’s eyes are on us,” said Frederiksen. It is a „real cordon“ of the region. Danes and foreign visitors have been asked to stay away from the area, where restaurants and bars will be closed from tomorrow. With the exception of school buses, local public transport will also be discontinued. Trains and buses should no longer cross the borders to the regions.
WHO sees no indication of an increased risk
The World Health Organization (WHO) currently sees no evidence of increased risks in the variant of the coronavirus transmitted by mink. There have already been numerous mutations of SARS-CoV-2, said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan in Geneva. „It is too early to jump to conclusions about the consequences of this new mutation for transmission, disease severity, clinical symptoms, immune response or possible vaccine effects.“
A first WHO risk assessment of the situation in Denmark is in progress and the plan is to communicate with the member states during the day, said WHO emergency aid coordinator Mike Ryan. “The evidence we have doesn’t suggest that this variant behaves in any way,” said Ryan. But he also emphasized that it was important to prevent transmission through safety measures in animal farms.
Coronavirus has been detected in 207 mink farms
The coronavirus has been detected in 207 mink farms, in some cases in a mutated version. Denmark is the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, with between 15 and 17 million mink living on more than a thousand farms.
In response, the UK imposed a quarantine order on all travelers from Denmark. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was closely following the situation in Denmark and was in contact with the Danish authorities.
Denmark has come through the CoV pandemic comparatively well so far. In the country with its 5.8 million inhabitants, 733 people died as a result of Covid 19 disease. Due to an increase in the number of infections, the government in Copenhagen introduced new national restrictions at the end of October to quickly curb the spread of the virus.
