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People in their 20s most likely to be infected – coronavirus antibodies study

Ben Hamilton
January 20th, 2021


This article is more than 3 years old.

A third didn’t even know they had it, according to Statens Serum Institut findings, which suggest just under 4 percent of the nation has contracted COVID-19

The blood never lies. Didn’t Dexter once say that? (photo: Pixabay)

A new Statens Serum Institut study that measured coronavirus antibodies in blood samples dispels some of the coronavirus myths doing the rounds at present. 

People in their 20s most likely
Despite daycare institutions and pre-teen educational establishments remaining open for most of 2020, during which time facemasks were mostly discouraged,  less than 4 percent of Danish children under the age of 12 have been infected with COVID-19.

This was mostly in line with the national figures, as 3.9 percent of the Danish population over the age of 12 had been infected, as of the start of 2021.

The most affected age bracket were people in their 20s with 7.0 percent, while the over-65s managed just over 2 percent.

The results were based on the findings obtained from 17,808  citizens last autumn – a study that concluded on December 11.

A third didn’t notice being unwell
Among those who had the coronavirus, a third reported that they didn’t even feel unwell, according to the study. 

Professor Hans Jørn Kolmos, a clinical microbiology expert at the University of Southern Denmark, says the figures underline how important it is to adhere to the restrictions.

“There is a considerable spread of infection that never reaches the surface,” he told TV2. “This virus is clearly more contagious than we thought.”

However, other experts have long contended that the spring coronavirus figures were far, far more severe than documented for this exact reason: many simply didn’t know they had it. 

 


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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.”