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COVID-19

Denmark school closes due to suspected Omicron Covid-19 case

A school in Danish city Odense has closed due to concerns a Covid-19 case in one of its pupils could be caused by the new Omicron variant.

An Odense school has closed due to the detection of a Covid-19 cases suspected to be caused by the new Omicron varianf.
An Odense school has closed due to the detection of a Covid-19 cases suspected to be caused by the new Omicron varianf. Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Odense Municipality confirmed the closure in a statement on Monday after informing parents and pupils on Sunday evening.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority (Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed) said on Monday morning that the case is suspected of being linked to the new Omicron variant.

READ ALSO: Denmark does not rule out new travel restrictions after Omicron variant detected

The authority recommends contact tracing up to “third” contacts, or people who have been in contact with suspected close contacts to the confirmed or “first” case.

Pupils and teachers in the same class as the confirmed or “first” case are considered “second” contacts, with close contacts to the class the “third” link.

People who fall into these categories are asked to isolate at home until they have tested negative on the fourth and sixth days since the potential contact.

The school is closed as of Monday while contact tracing is undertaken.

On Monday, the World Health Organization said the new Covid-19 Omicron variant poses a “very high” risk globally and stressed that uncertainties remained about how contagious and dangerous the strain was. 

“If another major surge of Covid-19 takes place driven by Omicron, consequences may be severe,” WHO said in a technical note, adding though that “to date, no deaths linked to Omicron variant have been reported.”

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COVID-19

Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

It is still free to get a Covid-19 vaccine in Denmark if you are over the age of 65 or have a health condition, with the health authorities now running Covid and flu vaccinations together. Here's what you need to know.

Who should get vaccinated against Covid and flu in Denmark and when?

Who is being offered a vaccine for Covid-19 or flu this autumn? 

According to the information on the Danish Health Authority’s website, Covid-19 and flu vaccines are being offered to: 

  • People over the age of 65
  • People under the age of 65 who have a health condition which puts them at increased risk. You can find a list of the long-term health conditions deemed a risk here
  • Pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester

Children between 2 and 6 years of age are being offered a special flu vaccine for children, which is administered as a nose spray, but not the Covid vaccine (unless they fit one of the categories above). 

Those who have retired early, for whatever reason, are also being offered the flu vaccine but not a Covid-19 vaccine.  

People over the age of 65 and the parents of children between the ages of 2 and 6 will automatically receive an invitation to get vaccinated though their digital postbox at borger.dk, e-Boks and mit.dk.

People in the other eligible categories will not receive an invitation. 

If you have not yet received an invitation, do not worry, as invitations are being staggered over October and the start of November.  

READ ALSO: 

When and where can I get vaccinated? 

This year’s autumn vaccination campaign started on October 1st and will continue until January 15th. 

You can get vaccinated at one of over 50 regional vaccination sites all over Denmark, or at the over 280 local pharmacies which are signed up to be part of the programme. 

Residents of care homes for the elderly and others in need will be offered vaccinated at their home.

You can log in and book an appointment at your nearest centre or pharmacy at Denmark’s official vaccination website www.vacciner.dk.

Is it possible to get vaccinated against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time? 

The Danish Health Authority has judged that it is safe to receive vaccines against both flu and Covid-19 at the same time, but the two vaccines cannot be mixed in the same syringe, so you will receive two separate injections. 

Is vaccination compulsory? 

No. Although the strongly recommends everyone in the various risk categories to get vaccinated, it is up to every individual whether to do so. 

Is it possible to get vaccinated even if I am not over 65 or in a risk group? 

It is no longer possible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or flu through Denmark’s national vaccination programme if you are not in one of the recommended categories, after the country’s health authorities stopped offering paid vaccinations.  

But it remains possible to get vaccinated at a private vaccination centre, such as the SikkerRejse chain found in most Danish towns. The chain, which has a waiting list, offers doses of the latest Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine for a total price of 995 kroner. 

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