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Denmark delays decision over use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Danish Health Authority has delayed a decision over whether it will use the Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson until next week.

Published: 29 April 2021 15:58 CEST
Denmark delays decision over use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Denmark is yet to decide whether to use the Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Photo: Vincent West/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

A decision by the authority on whether it will also withdraw the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the national Covid-19 programme, as it did with the vaccine from AstraZeneca, was scheduled to be made this week, but has been put back.

“We will hopefully hear next week from health authorities about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” health minister Magnus Heunicke said according to broadcaster DR.

“That also means that a vaccination calendar can be set, which we can use to see exactly how quickly and how” remaining coronavirus restrictions can be lifted, Heunicke added.

The J&J vaccine is yet to be used in Denmark after the company earlier this month announced it would delay the rollout of its vaccine in Europe due to concerns over rare potential side effects detected in the United States.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) last week said it had concluded, based on initial investigations, a possible link between the J&J vaccine and rare cases of blood clots combined with low platelet levels.

The regulator recommended adding a warning to the vaccine’s product label and said the benefits of the one-dose shot outweigh its risks.

READ ALSO: European countries face slower vaccination as Johnson & Johnson delays rollout

The European rollout was recommenced following the EMA’s statement, with Johnson & Johnson agreeing to add a product warning on packaging as recommended by the regulator.

France and Italy are among countries to have begun using the US drug maker’s vaccine, but have limited its use to people over the ages of 55 and 60 respectively.

The United States has also reintroduced the vaccine to its inoculation programme after US authorities recommended lifting a pause on the jab, following a safety review.

The leader of the Danish Conservative party, Søren Pape Poulsen, said on Thursday he would accept a J&J vaccine regardless of the final decision by the country’s health authority.

“If the authorities don’t approve it, I’ll glad offer my arm and take it. When the Americans, the Danish Medicines Agency and the EMA have approved it, I find it hard to understand why we can’t approve it (for use),” Poulsen told DR.

“If a vaccine approved everywhere else can’t be (used) in Denmark, I need to take a breath,” he added.

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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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