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INFLUENZA

Denmark gives 120,000 influenza vaccinations in two weeks

Danish pharmacies have given influenza vaccines to as many people during the last two weeks as they did throughout the entire 2019 winter season.

Denmark gives 120,000 influenza vaccinations in two weeks
A file photo of an influenza vaccine. Photo: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

Around 120,000 people in the country have already received vaccines at 380 pharmacies that offer the influenza jab.

The numbers come from the Danish Association of Pharmacists (Danmarks Apotekerforening), which published them in a press statement.

The figure covers the period since October 1st, when a free offer of influenza vaccines for people over the age of 65 and certain risk groups came into effect.

The Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) has advised influenza vaccines be given to people in these categories first, given that there is a limited supply.

Pharmacies have therefore paused influenza vaccination for other groups.

Groups given priority for the ‘flu vaccination include pregnant women in the second and third trimesters, severely overweight people, people on sickness pensions and others with chronic illnesses.

The Danish Association of Pharmacists stressed the enhanced importance of the influenza vaccine during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s good that so many (in risk groups) have followed health authority recommendations (to get an influenza vaccination) because they face the biggest risk if they come down with both influenza and Covid-19. That can make the disease much worse,” the association’s technical director Birthe Søndergaard said in the statement.

“Additionally, we want to avoid patients with influenza occupying beds in hospitals which could potentially be needed for corona patients,” Søndergaard said.

Around half of the Danish population over 65 was vaccinated against influenza in 2019. Health authorities want to exceed that this year because of the coronavirus crisis.

READ ALSO: Why people in Denmark are wearing 'social distance badges'

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

READ ALSO: 

People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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