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Dansk

Vaccination against covid-19

Vaccination against covid-19 protects against serious illness and hospitalization. In Denmark, many persons have accepted the offer of vaccination against covid-19.

vaccination

Autumn/winter 2022-23 the Danish Health Authority has recommended booster vaccination for people over 50 and selected target groups. The offer of booster vaccination against covid-19 expired on 1 March 2023.

Some people will need to be booster-vaccinated before an expected vaccination program starts autumn 2023. It could be, for example, patients receiving an organ transplant. They will still have the option of getting a booster vaccination if the doctor deems it necessary.

It is also still possible for people aged 18 and over to be vaccinated against covid-19 if you have never been vaccinated before.

The effect of vaccination diminishes over time, and therefore the Danish Health Authority continuously assesses whether some special groups, e.g. the elderly or people with special diseases or conditions, should be offered a booster vaccination against covid-19.

In order to prevent covid-19 and other infectious diseases from spreading, it is generally important to follow the  infection prevention advice from the Danish Health Authority.

See the guidance here: Prevent being infected with covid-19 

 

Q&A about vaccination

Who will be offered vaccination against covid-19?

People aged 50 years and over will be offered vaccination.

People aged under 50 who are at a higher risk of becoming severely ill from covid-19 will also be offered vaccination against covid-19.

Staff in the healthcare and elderly care sector as well as in selected parts of the social services sector who have close contact with patients or citizens who are at higher risk of becoming severely ill from covid-19 will also be offered booster vaccination against covid-19.

In addition, we recommend that relatives of persons at particularly higher risk accept the offer of vaccination to protect their relatives who are at particularly higher risk.

Why do we need to re-vaccinate?

We have achieved very high population immunity in Denmark. This is due both to the high adherence to the vaccination programme and to many people previously having been infected with covid-19. However, we expect that this immunity will gradually decrease over time. In addition, we know that covid-19 is a seasonal disease and that the number of infections are expected to increase during autumn and winter. We expect that a large part of the population will become infected with covid-19 during the autumn, and we therefore want to vaccinate those having the highest risk so that they are protected from severe illness if they become infected.

When will I be offered vaccination?

Nursing home residents and people aged 85 and over will be offered vaccination from mid-September. For others, the vaccination programme against covid-19 will begin on 1 October 2022.
 

I have a specific disease or condition – will I be offered vaccination?

People aged under 50 who are at higher risk of becoming severely ill are recommended vaccination against covid-19. This may, for example, be people who have a severely impaired immune system.

Read more here

Will i get an invitation for vaccination?

If you are offered vaccination based on your age, you will receive an invitation in e-Boks/mit.dk. You will be offered vaccination against covid-19, influenza and pneumococci. For nursing home residents, there will be a special offer of local vaccination without appointment.

If you are in the target group for vaccination based on your illness/condition or your work, you will not receive an invitation. When the programme starts on 1 October, you can instead either:

  • Fill in a solemn declaration and booking an appointment for vaccination on www.vacciner.dk. If you are in doubt about whether you are in the target group for vaccination, you can fill in a guiding questionnaire, which is also available on www.vacciner.dk, and then book an appointment if you are in the target group.
  • Talk to your doctor, who can set up a vaccination process at www.vacciner.dk for you with the vaccines you are offered. You can then book an appointment yourself. In some cases, your doctor will be able to vaccinate you immediately.

If you are a healthcare professional or elderly care worker or employed in selected parts of the social services sector, your workplace can inform you about whether they offer vaccination of their staff.

 

Why are people aged under 50 not to be re-vaccinated?

The purpose of the vaccination programme is to prevent severe illness, hospitalisation and death. Therefore, people at the highest risk of becoming severely ill will be offered booster vaccination. The purpose of vaccination is not to prevent infection with covid-19, and people aged under 50 are therefore currently not being offered booster vaccination.

People aged under 50 are generally not at particularly higher risk of becoming severely ill from covid-19. In addition, younger people aged under 50 are well protected against becoming severely ill from covid-19, as a very large number of them have already been vaccinated and have previously been infected with covid-19, and there is consequently good immunity among this part of the population.

It is important that the population also remembers the guidance on how to prevent the spread of infection, including staying at home in case of illness, frequent aeration or ventilation, social distancing, good coughing etiquette, hand hygiene and cleaning.

Variant-updated vaccines

What does it mean that a vaccine is variant updated?

The Danish Health Authority will offer variant-updated mRNA vaccines in the autumn vaccination programme. These vaccines have been approved by the European Medicines Agency.

The vaccination, which will be offered during autumn/winter 2022-2023, consists of a variant-updated vaccine. The influenza vaccines are updated every year, and the covid-19 vaccines have likewise also been updated to target the Omicron variant more effectively.

The variant-updated vaccines have been adapted to the variant that is dominant in society.

What side effects do the vaccines have?

All vaccines cause side effects, including the covid-19 vaccines. In general, the side effects are mild and transient, and we consider the vaccines to be very safe and highly documented.

Studies of the variant-updated vaccines have shown that the side effects do not differ from those seen in connection with the vaccines we have previously used in Denmark.

Mild side effects

Most people will experience pain at the injection site. Other common side effects include fatigue, headache, pain in muscles and joints, chills, a slight fever as well as redness and swelling at the injection site. These are generally signs that your body’s immune system is reacting as it should to the vaccine. You do not need to call your doctor if you experience these known and transient side effects. If you are among those who do not experience side effects, you should not worry that the vaccine is not working, because it will regardless of whether you experience side effects.

We know from other vaccines that almost all side effects occur within the first six weeks of vaccination. It is very rare for them to occur later than this. Both Danish and European medicines agencies monitor the vaccines closely after they have been approved both in relation to how well they work and how many side effects they cause.

However, there is a difference in how well the immune system of older and younger people responds to vaccines. Elderly people will typically have poorer-responding immune systems, and they will therefore typically experience fewer side effects.

Rare side effects

In rare cases, severe immediate allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) may occur, which may be caused by, for example, allergy to the additives in the vaccine. If you have previously had a severe allergic reaction immediately after being vaccinated or after being injected with a medicinal product, you should contact your doctor before being vaccinated against covid-19. If you have a known allergy to macrogols/PEG/polyethylene glycol, you should not be vaccinated with the mRNA vaccines.

Vaccination of children against covid-19

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.

 

Should I be vaccinated?

Can I tolerate being vaccinated?

Can I tolerate being vaccinated?

Situations in which you should not be vaccinated

You should not be vaccinated against covid-19 if you have:

  • A known, ascertained allergy to the vaccine (for example an immediate allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in connection with the first injection)
  • A known allergy to one of the excipients in the vaccine
Situations in which you should postpone vaccination
  • You are acutely ill with a fever above 38°. You can be vaccinated if you only have a slight fever or light infections such as a common cold. However, you should always consider whether you might have covid-19 in this connection.
  • You have covid-19 or suspect that you have covid-19.
  • You have had covid-19 within one month before vaccination.
  • You have been tested due to suspicion of covid-19 or because you are a close contact of an infected person.
  • You are to undergo surgery within one week before or after vaccination.
Situations in which you should consult a doctor before being vaccinated
  • You have been informed that there is a suspicion of allergy to macrogol/PEG/polyethylene glycol.
  • You have previously had an immediate allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after vaccination or after injection of another medicinal product.
  • You have previously repeatedly had an immediate allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after ingestion of other medicinal products (for example laxatives, stomach acid drugs).
  • You have mastocytosis (a rare disease of the body’s mast cells).
Situations in which you can be vaccinated

Most people tolerate the vaccine well. You can be vaccinated even if:

  • You are waiting for the result of a covid-19 test
  • You have developed a skin rash after taking other medicinal products (for example penicillin, ibuprofen).
  • You cannot tolerate or experience discomfort from strong pills (for example painkillers).
  • You have experienced common, known side effects after the first injection of the vaccine.
  • You are allergic to foods (for example eggs, shellfish, nuts).
  • You are allergic to insecticides, latex or the like.
  • You have pollen allergy/hay fever, allergy to animals or asthma eczema.
  • You are undergoing fertility treatment.
  • You have received another vaccine (for example against influenza or pneumococci) on the same day/recently.
  • You are a cancer patient and are undergoing treatment
  • You have an impaired/weakened immune system1
  • A family member has had an allergic reaction after vaccination.
  • You do not want to consume products made from pigs.
  • You have previously had treatment with botox.
  • You are on ordinary blood-thinning medication.
  • You have previously had a blood clot or there is a tendency to blood clots in your family.
 
1People with impaired/weakened immune system may have a poorer effect of the vaccine and should pay special attention to following
 
Need further advice?
 
Healthcare professionals can contact Statens Serum Institut or the regional pharmacovigilance units/side effect managers.
 

CanI be vaccinated if I am ill?

If you have a fever of 38 degrees or more or have an acute severe infection such as pneumonia, your vaccination must be postponed.

You can be vaccinated if, for example, you only have a slight fever or a light infection such as a common cold, but you must always consider whether you may have covid-19.

Publications, etc.

Please click on the arrow to view our current publications, etc. on COVID-19 vaccination.
Updated 21 MAR 2023