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Danish government declines to close childcare but asks parents to keep small children at home

The government has encouraged parents to care for small children at home despite childcare facilities such as kindergartens remaining open.

Published: 6 January 2021 15:52 CET
Danish government declines to close childcare but asks parents to keep small children at home
File photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Although Denmark’s national lockdown was further tightened by new measures on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s government has resisted closing nurseries and kindergartens (vuggestuer and børnehaver in Danish, ed.).

Schools are closed until at least January 17th, however.

Some left wing parties as well as a union for child care workers have called for the kindergarten facilities to join schools in being closed, according to reports by broadcaster DR.

The government has said that childcare facilities will not be closed but has asked parent to take care of pre-school kids at home where possible.

“Daycare is open since infections are still not being driven by the smallest children. Childcare should take place in small, regular groups where possible,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

“Parents are encouraged to keep children home from childcare if this is possible. Additionally, the option of using e.g. visors with regard to daycare will be looked into,” the statement adds.

Meanwhile, the national infectious disease agency SSI said on Wednesday that 63,312 people in the country have received at least one of the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

That corresponds to 1.08 percent of the population, according SSI.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What coronavirus restrictions does Denmark now have in place?

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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.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
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.” 

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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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