Burden of COVID-19 in the first full year of the pandemic in Denmark

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous public health impact. In Denmark, the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed on 26 Febuary and during the following year, Denmark registered over 200,000 cases and 2,600 deaths, and implemented a range of public health measures to limit spread of infections. Statens Serum Institut (SSI) is responsible for surveillance of COVID-19 in humans, including case counts, admissions and deaths. In addition, national surveys of prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were carried out [1][2]. These metrics have been useful to monitor the evolution of the epidemic over time, the effects of measures to reduce transmission of infection, and guide options for introducing or lifting restrictions at different stages.

For assessing the health significance and severity of a disease on the society, tools that account for the overall health impact are needed. Burden of disease studies are useful to compare the public health impact of a disease across population groups, across diseases in a country, or of the same disease across countries.