
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Danish authorities struggled with translating official rules and information into other languages. NGOs and hospitals therefore issued their own translations, sharing them on social media to reach out to non-Danish speaking residents. A hotline and a website with translations in six languages were set up by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), financed by a private funding. Eventually the state took over the financing and the site and hotline became the product of cooperation between the DRC and the health authorities.
Ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the virus – the risk of contracting it is higher for this group, as is the risk of becoming seriously ill once infected. Surveys have also found that ethnic minorities are more reluctant both to take tests and to receive vaccination, and as a result special campaigns have been launched to reach them - especially in social housing areas. These campaigns have been run through cooperation between the state, local authorities and local civil society actors. The Statens Serum Institut (SSI) carried out a study to explore the reasons behind this, and found the main factors to be how closely people live together, how many people live in one household, how many people live in the area and place of origin.
Now, as Denmark experiences an intense third wave of the pandemic, there is an impressive range of sources of information available to ethnic minorities. These include:
Official COVID-19 information online in six major languages, plus telephone hotline (also in six languages).
Danish authorities' official website on COVID-19. This site is fully translated into English, with additional information included for tourists and people without a Danish social security number. It also features regularly updated information on international travel restrictions as they relate to Denmark.
- SST (Danish Health Authorities):
Extensive English version of COVID-19 information, including facts about tests, vaccines, and the ongoing pandemic situation. It features a special page with links to information in 15 languages, and all headlines about specific issues are in Danish or English. The site also publishes new videos produced with and for descendants of migrants, discussing common questions and doubts around vaccination. These videos are only available in Danish.
- SSI:
News and analyses from leading Danish experts, also presented in English.
- Dansk Selskab for Indvandrersundhed (Danish Centre for Migrant Health):
The expert centre for migrant health issues at Odense University Hospital provides a relevant collection of links about COVID-19 on its landing page.
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