Mutated mink coronavirus: special restrictions for 280,000 inhabitants in Denmark

After a problematic coronavirus mutation from mink that could threaten the effectiveness of a future human vaccine, Denmark on Thursday announced specific restrictive measures for more than 280,000 residents in the northwest of the country, to prevent further case of this "Cluster 5".

"From this evening, the citizens of seven municipalities in North Jutland are urged to stay in their own municipality to prevent the spread of the infection," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.

"Something completely extraordinary"

Danes and foreigners are ordered not to go to the area where restaurants and bars will be closed from Saturday.

"We ask you in the north of Jutland to do something completely extraordinary", said the head of government who speaks of a "real closure" of this region.

The municipalities concerned are all located at the northern tip of Jutland, in western Denmark.

They bring together 280,000 inhabitants.

With the exception of school transport, public transport will be stopped in the seven municipalities concerned.

Pupils in grades 5 to 8 (equivalent of CM2 to 4th in the French system) will follow their online education from Monday.

The restrictions are scheduled to last for four weeks.

Denmark, the world's largest exporter of mink skins, sparked concern on Wednesday by announcing the mass slaughter of all mink in the kingdom - more than 15 million head - following the discovery of this transferable mutation to the man, which has already been detected in twelve people, including eleven cases in this region and one in another.

Experts have called on Denmark to release more scientific data to better assess the mutation.

Mutations had already been detected in mink, but that of "Cluster 5" worries the Danish authorities.

The strain implies lower efficacy of human antibodies

Asked by AFP, the World Health Organization said it was monitoring the situation closely and being in contact with the Danish authorities.

According to the explanations of the Danish authorities, "Cluster 5", whose strain was identified at the beginning of the week, does not result in more serious effects in humans.

But it implies a lower efficiency of human antibodies, which threatens the development of a vaccine against Covid-19, the subject of a race against time across the world.

In North Jutland, health authorities estimate that around 5% of patients could be carriers of this strain but no recent cases have been reported, making the proof of the effective circulation of the mutated virus uncertain.

In the Nordic kingdom of 5.8 million inhabitants, relatively spared by Covid-19 with 733 deaths, new national restrictions have already been put in place at the end of October to slow the very rapid rise of the disease.