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COVID-19

Danish regions switch Covid-19 rapid test provider after problems

Problems with provider SOS international have resulted in health authorities cancelling the company’s contract to operate rapid Covid-19 tests.

Published: 8 February 2021 17:01 CET
Danish regions switch Covid-19 rapid test provider after problems
Illustration photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark’s regional health authorities pay private providers to operate rapid Covid-19 testing, which is offered to the public for free and separately from the regular PCR testing available through the health service.

All of the healthcare regions which had contracted rapid testing to SOS International announced on Sunday that they had cancelled contracts with the company, news wire Ritzau reported.

Another company, Falck, took over rapid testing on Monday. Falck previously operated rapid testing in December and January.

The decision means SOS International will no longer operate testing in Greater Copenhagen, Zealand, Central Jutland or North Jutland. The company will continue to carry out the tests using its staff in Greater Copenhagen during the 30-day notice period.

Another company, Medicals Nordic A/S, was dropped as a subcontractor with immediate effect.

“The regions (health authorities) are very disappointed that SOS International is failing on its obligations,” Central Jutland Region director Anders Kjærulff said in an email reported by Ritzau.

The announcement came after Danish newspapers Politiken and BT reported substandard safety and hygiene conditions at testing centres operated by Medicals Nordic.

Politiken reported single-use gloves not being changed after swabbing and a lack of disinfection of surfaces between tests, while BT wrote that the company had used messaging app Whatsapp to send sensitive patient information.

Southern Denmark, the only region not to have used SOS International, will continue with current provider Carelink.

READ ALSO: Denmark introduces rapid Covid-19 tests at German borders

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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.” 

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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