A new strain of coronavirus has been found in England. By December 13th, the strain which is named N501Y had been found in 1.108 persons, primarily in the south and east of England. Furthermore, 10 cases of the new coronavirus strain have been found in Denmark.
When you arrive home from England:
You are strongly encouraged to follow the health authorities’ recommendation to self-isolate for 10 days. This is the case even if you get a negative test result from a rapid test at the airport.
You can break isolation if you get a PCR test at the earliest 4 days after arriving in Denmark and the result shows that you are not infected with COVID-19. PCR tests are used in the public test facilities. Rapid tests are not recommended.
You should get a PCR test if you have not self-isolated for 10 days or had a PCR test on the 4th day after arrival.
If you are a business traveler and - according to current recommendations - are only required to get tested once on the day of arrival, you should get a second test, since the recommendations do not take into account the incubation period.
When you arrive from England, you should follow the general guidelines from the Danish Health Authority closely to prevent the spread of infection.
What we know about N501Y
The strain has 9 genetic changes in the spike protein, 2 so-called deletions and 7 mutations. This has led to considerations on whether this virus strain can be more contagious, lead to more serious illness and/or be more resistant to anti-bodies and vaccines than other strains.
It is still unknown if the new strain of coronavirus is more contagious than other strains or if it may be more resistant to antibodies and vaccines than other strains. There is, however, nothing that indicates that this strain will lead to more serious illness than other strains.
The Danish Patient Safety Authority strongly appeals to travelers from England to follow the guidelines above closely until there is more knowledge about the virus strain.