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Report: Danes more sceptical about coronavirus direction

Christian Wenande
September 24th, 2020


This article is more than 4 years old.

Health authority’s COVID-19 recommendations deemed less effective, more costly and more difficult to follow

Is Denmark’s patience wearing thin? (photo: Pixabay)

When Denmark became one of the first countries in the world to lock down in the face of the Coronavirus Crisis, there was much praise for the government.

But now, a few months later, a new report has revealed that perhaps the Danes aren’t as pleased with government COVID-19 guidance as before.

The report, compiled by researchers from Aarhus University, has concluded that the Danes view the government coronavirus direction as less effective, more costly and more difficult to adhere to.

“Suddenly, within the past couple of weeks, a change in people’s perception of the health recommendations has occurred,” Michael Bang Petersen, one of the researchers behind the report, told DR Nyheder.

READ ALSO: Recovered COVID-19 patients remain susceptible to contracting infection: study

Mixed messages
While the Danes still believe the recommendations to be important, the data reveals several changes in mentality, including scepticism about the health authority’s ability to act, doubtfulness about the effectiveness of some measures, and concerns about the rising costs associated with following their lead.

The report is based on a survey of 500 people every day over the period between May 13 and September 20.

“We can see the lowest number of people actually feeling that they know how to act as a citizen in connection with the coronavirus,” said Petersen, referring to the ‘social bubble’ confusion involving State Serum Institute (SSI) representative Kåre Mølbak at the government press conference last week.

Two days later, the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority said Mølbak’s statement was not official advice and underlined that the Danes should take direction from the authority and not SSI.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”