The Nordic country can offer valuable insights into what to expect from omicron, as it has Europe’s most rigorous screening program, with a high level of testing, and variant-screening of all positive PCR tests. That explains why Denmark has reported the highest number of omicron cases in the European Union, Troels Lillebaek, chair of the Danish SARS-CoV-2 variant assessment committee, said.

“Denmark is not a hotspot for omicron compared with any other European country,” Lillebaek said in an interview on Friday. “I’m quite sure that what we are seeing now in Denmark is also happening in neighboring countries, and in other European countries.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday warned that the Omicron variant poses a significant risk of overload in the medical care service, which is why she urged to increase security measures.

Henrik Ullum, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (SSI) pointed out that to face Omicron “the most powerful weapon so far is the vaccine.”

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