Health authorities say they see no reason to give boosters to children or a fourth dose to adults
Health officials in Denmark said yesterday they were considering ending the country’s vaccination program in the spring and saw no reason to increase boosters to children or fourth doses to people at risk of serious illness, the Associated Press reported.
The Danish health service said in a statement that the third wave of infections in the country was passing “due to the high immunity of the population”. “The high level of vaccination in Denmark, especially with the third dose, means that we can cope with the rising level of infections without having seriously ill people,” the statement continued.
Last month, the Danish government began offering a fourth dose of vaccination to the elderly and other vulnerable citizens due to the deteriorating pandemic situation amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. But the health service concludes that three-dose vaccination provides good protection for nursing home residents and people over the age of 85. That’s why the agency decided that they don’t need to be injected with a fourth dose of vaccine at the moment.
In November, when the Delta option dominated and there were fears that children could pass the infection on to older people, Denmark included children aged 5 to 11 in its vaccination campaign.
Health authorities said today that “they are now starting to plan to end the entire vaccination program for all target groups.”
According to official data, more than 80 percent of the population has been vaccinated with two doses, and 61.3 percent have been vaccinated with a booster dose.
“Of course, we will closely monitor the epidemic and be ready to change our decision if, contrary to expectations, a fourth wave breaks out or new alarming options emerge in the spring,” the health service said in a statement.
