It now only takes 10 minutes now for citizens in the metropolitan area to learn whether they have developed antibodies against coronavirus in their blood without a doctor’s appointment.
Since Wednesday, the antibody tests have been on sale for 299 kroner in selected pharmacies in Copenhagen, as well as other towns distributed to by the Abacus Medicinecompany, as announced by the Kompas Kommunikation company.
More specifically, they can be found at Enghave Pharmacy in Vesterbro, Dalgas Boulevard Pharmacy in Frederiksberg, Glostrup Pharmacy, Bagsværd Pharmacy and Albertslund Pharmacy.
Easy and fast results – reliable?
Through a finger prick, in ten minutes you can get results whether you have antibodies or not.
But as attractive and easy as it sounds, the tests are not 100 percent accurate. The antibodies can only be measured in the blood two to three weeks after being exposed to coronavirus infection.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, having antibodies against the virus doesn’t mean that you are protected from a second infection.
Copenhageners feel safer than ever
Eighty-five percent of the capital’s citizens feel safe when they walk the city’s streets late at night, according to this year’s Security Survey conducted by Copenhagen Municipality. The 15 percent who don’t feel safe is the lowest level for more than ten years. In the vast majority of the boroughs, the feeling of safety has increased, although it has fallen in five: Amager West, Christianshavn, Kongens Enghave, Valby and Østerbro. The most commonly cited sources of insecurity are bike thieves, street gangs, burglary, vandalism, and noisy neighbours. Last year 18 percent said they felt unsafe, and in 2009, the year in which the survey started, the figure was 24 percent.
More sports activities for children from vulnerable areas
For the next four years, children aged 5-9 from seven selected vulnerable residential areas will be encouraged to get more active in sports through the municipality initiative ‘Active Children in Association’. Bridging sports associations and daycare centres, the municipality is allocating 5 million kroner for the project. This year it plans to run 30 courses for around 450 kids. Overall it wants to increase leisure activity for better integration and inclusion – especially after the coronavirus stagnation. The selected neighbourhoods are Mjølnerparken, Tingbjerg, Lundtoftegade, Aldersrogade, Hørgården, Gadelandet/Husumgård and Bispeparken.
Øresund Bridge undergoing maintenance work
A new layer of asphalt is being laid across Øresund Bridge, and it should be completed by the end of June. Taking advantage of the lower traffic due to the partial border closure, Øresundsbro Consortium, which is responsible for the bridge’s maintenance, last month decided to close off lanes to carry out repairs, that have also included almost 15 km of steel guarding, which is expected to last for about 35 years. The tunnel’s walls are also being renovated.
Lower VAT for hotel and restaurant industry, urges Horesta
Horesta, the members association for the hospitality industry, has suggested VAT payments from hotels, restaurants, and the tourism industry need to be reduced. Following an analysis of the matter, its head of tourism and experience, Annette Hyldebrandt, contends that lowering the rates and extending the current relief packages will bring some balance to an industry that has seen revenue plunge by more than 80 percent. She argues that it will enable the Danish industry to compete with countries like Germany, where VAT demands are one fifth of what they are in Denmark. Furthermore, it is open to many more countries than Denmark. Meanwhile, more lay-offs are expected in the capital, with 30 percent of companies in the industry expecting to make more redundancies to decrease their costs.
10 days later: Video of deserted Copenhagen goes viral
A new video called ‘The last person in Copenhagen – COVIDHAGEN’ (see below), which was created by two friends Nikolaj Trane Karstenberg and Christian Heldbo Wienberg using drones during the coronavirus lockdown, has gone viral with more than 170,000 views in the ten days since its release. Filmed on the city’s deserted streets during the lockdown, the pair spent 250 hours editing it.
