GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Current information about covid-19

Here you can read about infection, testing and recommendations from the authorities to help protect the most vulnerable in society.

Travelling to Denmark

There are no covid-19-related restrictions in Denmark, only a few recommendations for preventing disease.

Read about current recommendations here:

covidtravelrules

Travelling out of Denmark

If you are going to travel, you should check any entry requirements etc. in the country or countries you are travelling to.

On the pages below you can find the most common questions and answers about your departure as well as documentation for vaccination and tests.

Questions and answers for travellers about covid-19

Questions and answers about documentation

General advice for preventing infection

The best thing you can do to prevent infection is to follow the general advice of the Danish Health Authority:

  1. Stay home if you are ill
  2. Open windows and doors and ventilate your home regularly
  3. Wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer
  4. Clean thoroughly and regularly, especially surfaces that are touched by many people
  5. Cough and sneeze into your sleeve

Prevent infection (sst.dk)

Face mask recommendations

People with symptoms of respiratory infections are recommended to wear masks in healthcare settings. You should also wear a mask when going to the doctor or hospital.

Face masks (sst.dk)

If you are infected with covid-19

If you feel ill, you are advised to stay at home until you recover, in order to avoid infecting others. If you have tested positive for covid-19 but do not feel ill, you do not need to stay at home.

The general advice from the Danish Health Authority is to stay at home if you feel ill.

If you are experiencing symptoms of an infectious disease, it is recommended that you stay at home until you have recovered. That way, you can avoid infecting others with covid-19 and other infectious diseases, such as influenza.

If you are elderly, pregnant or have a chronic disease, you may be eligible for early treatment.

Find out if you are eligible for early treatment

Symptoms of covid-19 include fever, dry cough, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, nausea, fatigue, stuffy or runny nose, and loss of taste and/or smell.

Covid-19 test, symptoms, and early treatment (sst.dk)

Covid-19 is transmitted in the same way as common colds or influenza, by transfer of the virus from the respiratory tract of an infected individual to another individual’s respiratory tract or mucous membranes, either directly or through physical contact. You are most infectious while experiencing symptoms, although it is possible to infect others even without experiencing symptoms.

Prevent infection (sst.dk)

Who should be tested for covid-19?

Testing is no longer recommended for the majority of the population. Public testing was closed on April 1, 2023.

However, the Danish Health Authority recommends testing if you are at risk of severe illness from covid-19 and in cases where a test result may have implications for possible treatment.

  • You have symptoms of covid-19 and feel ill. This applies if you are over the age of 65, or if you are otherwise at risk of serious illness related to covid-19. This also applies if you are pregnant. In such cases, you should use a self-test or contact your doctor.
  • You have consulted a doctor as a result of illness, and the doctor wants to investigate the cause of the symptoms.
  • In case you are unsure whether to get tested, or if you have any other concerns, you should consult your doctor.

Covid-19 test, symptoms, and early treatment (sst.dk)

PCR test

PCR is a highly sensitive testing method that detects the RNA of novel coronavirus. It is also able to detect if you are infected with a different strain of the virus. The test is performed by swabbing the throat, and provides the most reliable result. It is up to your doctor to decide whether you should receive a PCR test.

Rapid test, including self-test

A rapid test (also known as an antigen test, quick test, lateral flow test or self-test) is a chemical test used to detect viral proteins in a sample. The rapid test is less sensitive than the PCR test, which means that the result is less reliable. However, the result is ready after only about 15-30 minutes.

Are you in the target group for early treatment?

Are you infected with covid-19, have symptoms, and are at increased risk of severe illness?

In that case, you may be eligible for early treatment, which can reduce the risk of a severe course of covid-19.

It is up to your doctor to assess whether or not you are eligible for early treatment. Treatment should start as quickly as possible after developing symptoms, so it is important that you contact your doctor as soon as you receive a positive test.

If you meet these four criteria, you may be eligible for early treatment:

  1. Positive test for the novel coronavirus
    This can be a positive PCR test, a rapid test or a self-test.
  2. Significant symptoms of covid-19
    This includes fever, persistent cough and breathing difficulties.
  3. At increased risk of serious illness with covid-19 in one of the following groups:
    • Persons aged 80 years or older: Regardless of whether you are healthy or have a chronic disease
    • Persons aged 65-79 years: Many healthy individuals in this age group are not at increased risk, but if you have chronic diseases or mental and physical impairments, you may be at increased risk. Old age increases the risk of severe illness.
    • Persons under the age of 65: Very few are at increased risk, but individuals in this age group with certain chronic diseases, hard-to-control chronic diseases, obesity with a BMI of 35 or higher, and/or weakened immune systems are considered to be at increased risk.
    • Certain children and adolescents with chronic disease: The children and adolescents who may be at increased risk are typically those with severely weakened immune systems or other serious chronic conditions.
    • Residents of care homes
      Residents of care homes are at increased risk as they are often elderly and have chronic diseases, disabilities and fragile health.
    • Pregnant women
      Pregnant women are at increased risk for the sake of both the pregnant woman and the unborn child.
  4. Medical assessment
    Your doctor has decided that the treatment is safe for you.

Read more here:

Covid-19 test, symptoms, and early treatment (sst.dk)

If you need guidance, you can call contact tracing on 32 32 05 11.

People at increased risk

Certain elderly and vulnerable individuals may become so ill from covid-19 that they require hospitalization. It is still important, therefore, to protect the vulnerable.

Read more about who is at increased risk, treatment options, what to do, advice for relatives, etc.

People at increased risk

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Vaccination

From 1 October, you may once again be vaccinated against influenza and covid-19. The Danish Health Authority recommends vaccination if you are over 65 years of age or at increased risk of a serious illness.

The vast majority of younger people will have milder symptoms if they get the flu or covid-19. However, there are a number of diseases and conditions where the risk of a serious development is increased, such as chronic lung disease, severely compromised immune system, or pregnancy.

The Danish Health Authority recommends vaccination for the following people:

  • People aged 65 and over
  • People under 65 with a chronic illness (see list below)
  • Obese and pregnant women in their 2nd and 3rd trimester
  • People with other serious illnesses or conditions that, in the opinion of a physician, cause influenza or covid-19 to pose a serious health risk
  • Persons in the same household as people with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, or children at increased risk of getting severe influenza or covid-19

Read more about the autumn vaccination programme here:

These people are recommended vaccination (sst.dk) 

  • People with chronic illness, including:
    • People with chronic lung diseases
    • People with cardiovascular disease (except isolated, well-regulated hypertension)
    • People with diabetes 1 or 2 (diabetes mellitus)
    • People with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, e.g. people with immunoglobulin deficiency, organ or stem cell transplants, people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, or people receiving other immunosuppressive treatments
    • People with impaired respiration due to reduced muscle strength
    • People with chronic liver or kidney disease
    • People with other chronic diseases where, according to the doctor's assessment, the condition would cause influenza or covid-19 to pose a serious health risk, e.g. people with severe rheumatological disease, severe neurological disease, short bowel syndrome
  • People with obesity (BMI>35)
  • People with other serious illnesses or conditions that, according to a doctor's assessment, cause influenza or covid-19 to pose a serious health risk, e.g. people with severe mental illness, Down’s syndrome, or severe substance abuse
  • Pregnant women in their 2nd or 3rd trimester
  • Persons in the same household as people with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, or children at increased risk of getting severe influenza or covid-19

Read more here:

Who is offered vaccination (sst.dk)

You can be vaccinated from 1 October 2023 until 15 January 2024.

You can be vaccinated at regional vaccination centres, which are located in many places around the country. You can also be vaccinated at selected pharmacies.

You can book an appointment at www.vacciner.dk. Here you can find the most convenient place and time.

If you need help booking a vaccination appointment, contact your regional health service:

A special vaccination is offered to nursing home residents, who can be vaccinated in their nursing home.

It is safe be vaccinated against influenza and covid-19 at the same time. However, you must not mix the vaccines in the same syringe, so you will need two injections.

If you have a fever with a temperature of 38 degrees or above, or an acute serious infection such as pneumonia, you should postpone vaccination.

You can be vaccinated if you have a slight rise in temperature or a cold.

Read more about vaccination on the Health Authority’s website

If you are 65 years or older, you will receive an invitation in your Digital Post. You can view your Digital Post at borger.dk, in e-Boks and mit.dk. If you are exempt from Digital Post, you will receive an invitation by post.

If you are under 65 years of age but are recommended vaccination because of a disease or condition, you will not receive an invitation. Instead, you should go to www.vacciner.dk, where you have the option to book an appointment based on a solemn declaration.

Long-term effects

The majority of individuals who contract covid-19 recover without treatment and can return to their normal life, although it may take some time.

However, some people may experience symptoms for a longer period of time.

Long-term effects, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), refer to cases in which at least one symptom, which cannot be explained by other diagnoses, persists for more than two months after a covid-19 infection.

  • Shortness of breath and cough
  • Chest pain, chest pressure and palpitations
  • Fatigue and fever
  • Cognitive problems, such as difficulties with concentration and memory, headaches, sleep disturbances, peripheral neuropathy (reduced or altered sensation), dizziness and delirium (confusion, more commonly seen among the elderly)
  • Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, anorexia / loss of appetite (in the elderly)
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Symptoms of depression and anxiety
  • Loss of taste or smell, tinnitus, ear pain, sore throat, dizziness
  • Skin rash

Long-term effects of covid-19 - in Danish (sst.dk)