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COVID-19 VACCINES

Danish health authorities say no need for new Covid-19 vaccination programme

The Danish public is sufficiently protected against Covid-19 through vaccination at the current time, meaning there is no need for a renewed vaccine programme at the current time, the Danish Health Authority said on Friday.

Danish health authorities say no need for new Covid-19 vaccination programme
Danish health authorities see no need for a new Covid-19 vaccination programme at the current time. File photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

The Health Authority said in a statement on Friday that it did not consider additional vaccinations to be necessary at the current time.

“Uptake for vaccinations for both influenza and Covid-19 during the autumn vaccination campaign was very high – especially for the most vulnerable groups – and the protection against illness and death provided by the Covid-19 vaccines is still very good,” the authority said.

“At the current time, there is therefore no sign of falling immunity and need for more vaccinations,” it stated.

READ ALSO: Over 1.5 million Danes vaccinated against influenza and Covid-19 during late 2022

The announcement from the Health Authority comes at a time when Covid-19 infections in Denmark are reported to be increasing.

Older age groups in particular have seen rising infection numbers in recent weeks. A weekly trend report published national infectious disease control agency State Serum Institute (SSI) on Thursday said that the overall death rate in Denmark in recent weeks had been higher than expected.

SSI said this winter’s “triple epidemic” — widespread infections with Covid-19, influenza, and RSV — are likely to blame, having hit elderly populations particularly hard. 

Despite this, no additional booster vaccinations are needed beyond those already available, the Danish Health Authority said.

More vaccination may, however, become relevant later in the winter. The Health Authority said in the statement that it was following data related to vaccine effectiveness closely, especially in relation to older and vulnerable groups.

Health authorities continue to emphasise the importance of staying home if you feel sick. 

Elderly persons and those at risk of serious illness with Covid-19 are advised to keep a lateral flow (rapid) test at home so that they can access treatment quickly if they are infected, the Health Authority said in the statement.

READ ALSO: Denmark considers Covid-19 test requirement for travellers from China

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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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