National Round-Up: More snow for the weekend, but it won’t hang around too long

In other news, video options for emergency calls are here to stay, and COVID-19 isolation requirements have been discontinued

Around 90 percent of Denmark will be covered in snow this weekend, reports TV2.

Snow is likely to fall on Wednesday and Thursday and then stay on the ground until at least Sunday, at which point temperatures are forecast to rise to 6-7 degrees.

Some areas will see as much as 18 cm of snow, although there is a degree of uncertainty.

Heavy snow in capital
A weather front will hit Denmark over the course of Tuesday night, bringing warmer air and widespread precipitation.

On the west coast this might end up materialising as rain, in Jutland as a mixture of sleet and snow that could cause extremely slippery roads, and in Zealand as reasonably heavy snow.

The capital region could experience 17 cm of snow.


Video option for 112 calls now works across the country
Emergency services across the country now have the capacity to receive live video on 112 calls, according to Danske Regioner. The development will enable operators and healthcare workers to actually see the condition of somebody needing emergency care and to watch as the caller follows their instructions to help save them. Two of the regions have already been contactable by video link – with video accounting for 6 percent of all calls. 

Soot particles, phthalates and poor ventilation the norm at daycare centres
The indoor climate of Danish daycare centres is not good enough, according to a study carried out by Rådet for Grøn Omstilling in collaboration with Det Nationale Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmiljø og Teknologisk Institut, which recommends completely eliminating bonfires from the premises. Harmful chemical particles, some of which stem from the fires, were found in the institutions. In general, hormone-disrupting phthalates are still too frequently found in toys, the air ventilation systems are not good enough, and CO2 levels are too high. The study was carried out at 30 daycare centres in seven municipalities between November 2021 to April 2022. 

DXC to take over CPR management
Global IT services provider DXC Technology has won a six to eight-year contract to handle the country’s Civil Registration System (CPR) data. It will take over the management of the basic personal data of 10 million people – alive and dead, Danish and international – and report to the Ministry of the Interior and Housing. It is believed DXC will modernise the infrastructure with the use of more apps and automation. 

Russian hackers suspected following ministry website cyberattack
Russian hackers are believed to be responsible for a cyberattack on the Defence Ministry’s website last week that caused the sites of the Armed Forces to crash as well. A DDos attack, in which the website’s server is bombarded with requests over a short period of time, caused the server to crash. Sweden was subjected to a similar attack in early December. It is not thought the cyberattack caused any operational difficulties for the Armed Forces.

Isolation no longer required for COVID-19, but best to stay home
Isolation is no longer required should you contract COVID-19, the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority has ruled. Sundhedsstyrelsen reasons that the illness no longer has any special status compared to other diseases, such as influenza. It advises people with symptoms of both COVID-19 and flu to stay at home. “It is important to prevent infection with all types of respiratory infections, because influenza can also cause serious illness for elderly and chronically ill people and put a strain on the health service,” it cautioned. “You should stay home if you are sick – regardless of whether you think it’s Covid-19, influenza, or another respiratory infection.”

No subsidies for obesity treatment, medicines agency rules
Lægemiddelstyrelsen, the national medicines agency, has ruled out giving people a subsidy to acquire Wegovy, a new Novo Nordisk slimming medicine released this week. An annual subscription costs 31,000 kroner – usage has demonstrated that weight quickly returns if the medicine is not taken – and it is recommended for people with a BMI of over 30, or over 27 in certain circumstances (diabetes etc). Around 900,000 people in Denmark fall into the category. Side-effects from taking Wegovy include headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain.

Surge in numbers seeking Christmas aid
Denmark has already seen a huge rise in the number of people seeking Christmas aid, and now Mødrehjælpen has confirmed that 40 percent more people than last year have asked for the financial assistance. In total, it received 21,000 applications with a third citing rising prices. For the lucky ones granted the aid, households will receive 550 kroner for every child under the age of 18.