• Friday, 22 November 2024

Danish health minister tests positive for Covid during Brussels trip

Danish health minister tests positive for Covid during Brussels trip
Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke tested positive for the coronavirus during a ministerial trip to Brussels, a ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday. Heunicke is now in self-isolation in a Brussels hotel and contact-tracing has been initiated, the spokesperson said, adding that the minister was doing well under the circumstances and, so far, had only mild symptoms. Heunicke reportedly arrived in Brussels late on Monday to attend a meeting of EU health ministers on Tuesday. According to the ministry, Heunicke took a rapid test early in the morning that came back positive. That result was subsequently confirmed by a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. It is not known where and when Heunicke contracted the virus, though the Ministry of Health confirmed that he attended the ministry's Christmas party in Copenhagen on Friday, where one other guest is already known to have contracted the coronavirus.