COVID-19 vaccination in Denmark
Denmark started vaccinating against COVID-19 on 27 December 2020.[1] Vaccination in Denmark is free of cost and voluntary.[1] It is available to all residents of Denmark and those from abroad staying for more than 30 days in Denmark.[1] Denmark has one of the highest levels of COVID-19 vaccination in the European Union as of the end of September 2021.[2] In April 2022, Denmark announced the suspension of its COVID-19 vaccination program, making it the first country in the world to do so.[3] As of October 2022 the Danish Health Authorities recommend a booster vaccination to people aged 50 and over, as well as selected risk groups. They do so due to the expectation of an increasing number of COVID-19 infections during the autumn and winter months.[4]
Vaccines on order[edit]
There are several COVID-19 vaccines at various stages of development around the world.
| Vaccine | Approval | Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Pfizer–BioNTech |  21 December 2020
|
27 December 2020
|
| Moderna | 6 January 2021
|
12 January 2021
|
| Oxford-AstraZeneca | 29 January 2021
|
7 February 2021
|
| Janssen J&J | 11 March 2021
|
April 2021
|
| Novavax | 20 December 2021
|
Pending |
| Valneva | Pending | Pending |
| Sanofi–GSK | Pending | Pending |
| CureVac |  Request withdrawn
|
 No
|
Vaccine calendar 2021[edit]
The priority order for vaccination and scheduled time period for administering vaccine for each priority group is determined using a Vaccine Calendar in Denmark.[5] The 10 target groups in descending order of priority are as follows:
- Residents in nursing homes.
- People over 65 years who receive both personal care and practical assistance.
- People aged over 85 years.
- Healthcare professionals, elderly care professionals and others who are identified to be at risk for infection or are performing a critical function in the society.
- Persons with pre-existing conditions who have significantly higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Relatives of individuals or caregivers who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
- Age group of 80–84.
- Age group of 75–79.
- Age group of 65–74.
- Other age groups.
As of June 2021, children younger than 12 years and pregnant women are not offered vaccination in Denmark.[6] As of September 2022, a booster shot is no longer recommended for people under the age of 50 in that country.[7]
Children[edit]
Children and adolescents rarely become severely ill from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. From 1 July 2022, it was no longer possible for children and adolescents aged under 18 to get the first injection and, from 1 September 2022, it was no longer possible for them to get the second injection. A very limited number of children at particularly higher risk of becoming severely ill will still be offered vaccination based on an individual assessment by a doctor.[8]
Available vaccines[edit]
Denmark uses Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Denmark was the first country in Europe to stop using Oxford-AstraZeneca as well as Janssen J&J vaccines by citing blood clots as side effects, despite the approval of these vaccines by the European Medicines Agency.[9][10] As of May 2021, it became possible for Danish citizens to opt-in to receive any of these vaccines, although these vaccines were not included in the Danish vaccination program.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Danske Regioner - The Danish COVID-19 vaccination programme". www.regioner.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Kottasová, Ivana (1 October 2021). "They have all the vaccines they need, yet these EU nations are still miles behind their neighbors". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ Ellyatt, Holly (2022-04-28). "Denmark becomes the first country to halt its Covid vaccination program". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Sundhedsstyrelsen, sst (2022-04-28). "Authorities recommend a booster shot". SST.DK. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
- ^ "Vaccination calendar". www.sst.dk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Who are offered vaccination?". www.sst.dk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "COVID-19: Denmark currently not offering booster shots to those under 50". MSN. Archived from the original on 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
- ^ "Vaccination against covid-19". www.sst.dk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Denmark offers AstraZeneca and J&J COVID-19 vaccines to volunteers". euronews. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Denmark drops Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine over side effect fears". euronews. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Tilvalgsordningen for Covid-19 vacciner træder i kraft i denne uge". sum.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
COVID-19 vaccination in Europe | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states |
|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other entities | |