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Coronavirus: Denmark reduces waiting time for second dose of Pfizer vaccine

Denmark residents can now receive their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 three weeks after the first dose.

Coronavirus: Denmark reduces waiting time for second dose of Pfizer vaccine
Denmark has reduced the interval between doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from four to three weeks. Photo: Edgar Su/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

The gap between doses has been reduced from the previous minimum of four weeks, the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) confirmed in a statement on Friday.

That means a shortened waiting time for those receiving the Pfizer jab to become fully vaccinated.

“This means that you can become fully vaccinated earlier than was previously the case,” the health authority said in the statement.

A change to the booking system for Covid-19 vaccination, making it more flexible, has allowed for the reduction in waiting time.

READ ALSO: When and how can foreign residents get the Covid-19 vaccine in Denmark?

People who already have an appointment for their second dose are now able to change it to an earlier date via the vacciner.dk platform.

Regional health authorities can also be contacted by telephone to request an earlier appointment.

Although the interval for the Pfizer vaccine has been shortened, those receiving the Moderna vaccine still have to wait a minimum of four weeks before receiving their second dose. The two companies’ vaccines are the only ones in use in Denmark’s national Covid-19 vaccination programme.

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HEALTH

Can you get a covid vaccine in Denmark if you’re not in the at-risk groups?

If you’re not in one of the ‘high risk’ categories, a covid booster can be hard to come by in Denmark.

Can you get a covid vaccine in Denmark if you’re not in the at-risk groups?

A growing body of research indicates that keeping your covid vaccination up to date decreases your risk of long covid—a range of cardiovascular, neurological and respiratory symptoms that can be debilitating. But accessing the vaccine booster is not straightforward in Denmark if you are not within one of the ‘risk groups’ for the national annual booster scheme.

Ahead of winter 2023, the Danish government made a significant change to its covid vaccination policy. From November 2022 until October 2023, anyone who wanted to get vaccinated could do so at the government vaccination centres for a modest fee.

But in October 2023, the Danish government said it was bowing out of the elective booster game, since “vaccines will be sold on the private market under normal market conditions,” the Danish Health Ministry (Sundhedsministeriet) wrote.

READ ALSO: Covid-19 no longer given special status in Denmark

But it seems pharmacies and private clinics didn’t step in to fill the void the way the Danish government expected—although public health websites linked out to the Apotek pharmacy chain as a resource for voluntary covid vaccination, Apotek pharmacy confirmed to the Local Denmark via email that they did not offer paid covid vaccines this year.

As of February 5th, the only option for a voluntary covid booster in the Greater Copenhagen metropolitan area is through Copenhagen Medical, a private clinic in Sankt Annæ Plads near Nyhavn that offers a range of travel vaccines and tests. The Pfizer booster costs 920 kroner.

Other companies offer paid vaccinations, but the closest clinics are at least 30 km away (for instance, the Danske Lægers Vaccinations Service offers paid covid vaccines at their Roskilde and Hillerød locations).

The public covid vaccine campaign ended on January 15th, by when 1.1 million people had received a Covid vaccine during the 2023-2024 season in Denmark, according to the State Serum Institute, Denmark’s infectious disease agency.

SSI told the Local that it is unable to determine how many of those were through the public vaccination programme and how many were paid for at private clinics.

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