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LAST UPDATE | 14 Apr 2021
THE DANISH HEALTH Authority has announced that it will no longer use the AstraZeneca vaccine, in a European first.
In a statement, the authority said it will continue its vaccine rollout without the AstraZeneca vaccine primarily because other jabs are available and the Covid-19 situation in Denmark is “currently under control”.
On 11 March, the Danish authority paused the use of this vaccine alongside other EU countries.
People who have already received their first AstraZeneca dose will “later receive an invitation to vaccination with another vaccine”, the authority said.
Director General of the health authority, Søren Brostrøm, said: “If Denmark were in a completely different situation and in the midst of a violent third outbreak, for example, and a healthcare system under pressure – and if we had not reached such an advanced point in our rollout of the vaccines – then I would not hesitate to use the vaccine, even if there were rare but severe complications associated with using it.
“In the midst of an epidemic, it has been a difficult decision to continue our vaccination programme without an effective and readily available vaccine against Covid-19.
“However, we have other vaccines at our disposal, and the epidemic is currently under control.”
The authority said that anyone aged 16 or over can expect to be offered a vaccine by late June.
The move comes as worldwide concerns mount over the danger of blood clots linked to the embattled company’s medication.
Earlier today, German officials advised people under the age of 60, who have already received one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, to use a different vaccine for their second dose.
The German health ministry said it is recommending that people in that category should receive as their second shot either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccination, both of which were developed using a different process.
Officials added that in individual cases, younger people wanting a second AstraZeneca shot can get one so long as they have a careful medical risk assessment.
That also applies to high-risk people under the age of 60 still awaiting their primary vaccination.
The reports of rare blood clots in some people who have received the vaccine prompted
Germany and several other countries in the 27-nation European Union to limit the AstraZeneca shots to older age groups, who are more at risk from serious illness when infected with Covid-19.
A possible similar issue has arisen with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, leading the company to “proactively delay” the rollout of its Covid-19 vaccine to Europe after US health agencies recommended the vaccine be paused “out of an abundance of caution” after six cases of a rare type of blood clot were reported.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said today that it will make a recommendation on the safety of the coronavirus jab next week.
The vaccine was authorised in the EU on 11 March 2021 but the widespread use of the sing-shot jab within the EU has not yet started, meaning data is limited to the US rollout.
The EMA said it is working closely with the US FDA and other international regulators to investigate all the cases reported and will decide whether regulatory action is necessary.
“EMA is expediting this evaluation and currently expects to issue a recommendation next week,” it said in a statement, after announcing last week a probe had been launched.
While its review is ongoing, EMA remains of the view that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19 outweigh the risks of side effects.
- Additional reporting from Press Association
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The ema approves the vaccine for all of the eu countries then each country makes up their own rules on whether its safe or not and what age group its safe for, if your 59 its not safe, if your 60 it is, if your 69 it’s safe if your 70 it isn’t, a complete cluster****
@Hugo Bugo: an ultimately its stalling the whole thing, including openings.
@Hugo Bugo: It’s equally risky at any age but the relative risk as opposed to waiting another month unvaccinated is considered a risk worth taking for older groups who haven’t already had a jab.
The reality is that if Pfizer didn’t have supply issues then AZ wouldn’t be used at all.
@Hugo Bugo: Are you suggesting that member states shouldn’t have autonomy?
@Francis Devenney: I’m suggesting that the EU shouldn’t have had any involvement with the virus they have been a disaster with their procurement procedure ensuring no country is better than the worst country. All very USSR
@Joe Thorpe: I think you just outed yourself there Hugo.
@Phil Roche: No that’s been disproven It was originally thought it was higher in women till they realised that majority of those vaccinated were in health services which has a higher proportion of females working in that environment
@Hugo Bugo: Its called science Hugo. As more data collects we learn. If the data is showing things we dont like then we use that science to change our minds. Its like the opposite of what happened in the UK with Brexit. They elected to drive off a cliff. Science said otherwise but they all stuck their fingers in their ears and screamed lalala off the cliff.
@Patrick Robinson: science said no to brexit, lol, well u learn something new everyday, i really hope I learn something else today as it would be a travesty if the only thing I learn today is that science said no to brexit. Science has told Denmark to throw the astrazeneca one in the bin, the science was supposed to be done during phase 1, 2 and 3 trials and by the EMA, before they were deemed safe, they are all rushed vaccines and nobody can know where we will be with this in 5 years time
@Patrick Robinson: so is our science different to Denmarks, or the UKs or Germany or France? Everyone coming up with a different answer doesn’t seem like science, more like beaurocratic fear of taking ownership or responsibility.
@Hugo Bugo: The odds of dying from a blood clotting from these 2 vaccines are so low that if everyone in the US took it about 70 would die.
@Hugo Bugo: Denmark is not throwing the AZ vaccine in the bin, it has simply decided it has enough of the other vaccines. Indeed, the article quotes a Danish health official as saying that they would use it if they needed to.
I received my first AstraZeneca vaccine last Saturday. First question that was asked of me on registration was whether i consented to the vaccine. I don’t see the problem. We’re all big boys & girls and should be allowed to make our own decisions given that the risk is so low. Same decision we make when we have surgery and sign a consent form. Personally, i’ll take my chances with the vaccine and hopefully we can move on from this pandemic. Clear to see that they are already having a positive effect on hospital and daily case numbers so surely that counts for something.
I know we need to get everyone vaccinated ASAP. But right now I’m like feck astrazeneca. All countries should just cancel all orders with them. They’ve screwed us all over with unreliable deliveries and all this risk controversy now will undermine and threaten the confidence people will have in taking vaccines in the coming months.
@Aidan Leonard: It’s also damaging what people think of vaccines in general, not good.
@Joe Moore: The last thing we need..
The headbangers will make hay on this and veering away from EMA advice isn’t helping anymore…
Its a mess everyone is running solo
@Aidan Leonard: So we should abandon the use of a perfectly effective means of getting our lives back to normal? The risks with this vaccine are such that if everyone in the country was given it, there could be about 20 adverse reactions. Balance that against the fact we are going to have excess deaths from Cancer for the next 10 years, increased rates of depression and suicide, business’ and lives ruined, and massive disruption to kids development to name but a few of the consequences of persistent lockdowns.
Make the risks known and let people make the decision if they want it or not. The government/regulatory bodies are trying to micromanage every element of our lives through neverending lockdowns and vaccination beurocacy.
Surely it should be up to each individual whether or not they want to take this vaccine.
@Davy Evans: Stop talking sense Davy. Covid Karen’s aren’t pro choice when it comes to vaccines
5 covid/vaccine articles on the bounce …. can we get to 6
@Max Power: we are ramping up more and more and should get to 6 very shortly! :-)
Should the EMA not be making these decisions…
@Mike: they may well do so but in the meantime each country is entitled and indeed obliged to consider the safety and welfare of its citizens as it sees fit.
@JG: Not a good look picking and choosing advice from EMA a few months ago anyone who dared go against EMA advice were classed as nutters. Now the EMA has been pushed to one side , EMA recommendations should be followed or whats the point in having them
I hope these vaccine issues can be solved as soon as possible otherwise we will looking beyond 2022 for a return to normality.
Still no verdict on the Sputnik vaccine. Believe that the EMA are to visit Russia to check the plants to see how they are being manufactured.
Hopefully it will go well and bring in another source.
@George Vladisavljevic: I would be very happy to take Sputnik over any of the other vaccines. I don’t know why EMA hasn’t done this sooner.
And what would happen if ALL the vaccines have a one in a million risk of death (and slightly higher for illness)?
Between missed treatments and diagnoses for other illnesses, and more covid deaths from a slower rollout, there’s no way that this is the scientifically sound choice.
There’s probably a ton of other medicines we routinely take with similar risk profiles — even driving is more dangerous. But when you don’t have millions of people getting it all at once, you’re unlikely to notice a risk of one in a million.
I think they should offer to people who want it from 18 up once they are informed of the issues with it.It’s there own choice then .
I think it’s absolutely terrible only giving people between 60 and 69 only this choice of vaccine after all the hysteria.
I understand their concerns but the risk is miniscule according to most experts in the field. If you were to read the information leaflet in most over the counter medications such as paracetemol you’d never take them due to similar safety concerns yet they’re all still on sale in Denmark presumably. It seems that these days western societies have become very ‘risk-averse’ and want 100% safety guarantees for everything. Life is full of risk and unfortunately doesn’t offer any such guarantees…
@William Tallon: exactly . I won’t be taking any vaccine . That’s the risk I’m willing to take.
@William Tallon: You could just as easily replace AZ with Covid for statement
@Aunties: Good for you! That’ll show ‘em…
I think they should offer to people who want it from 18 up once they are informed of the issues with it.It’s their own choice then .
I think it’s absolutely terrible only giving people between 60 and 69 only this choice of vaccine after all the hysteria.
What a mess. Denmark backed Pfizer from the get go so can we have their now unwanted AZ allocation? I’ll take my chances if the odds are one in one million of me dying from a blood cloth.
There’s been no studies on this, seems reckless.
@Ariana: How could there be studies, when the vaccines have just left the production lines?
We will be studying Covid and the treatments and vaccines for years to come and we will no doubt look back and know we could have done things better, but hindsight and all that.
Perfect is the enemy of good, as they say so we have to be content with trying to do the best we can, which will not be perfect by any stretch.
Lemmings
@William Tallon: Excerpt from wikipedia …
Driven by strong biological urges, some species of lemmings may migrate in large groups when population density becomes too great. They can swim and may choose to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat. In such cases, many drown if the chosen body of water happens to be an ocean, or is in any case so wide as to exceed their physical capabilities. Thus, the unexplained fluctuations in the population of Norwegian lemmings, and perhaps a small amount of semantic confusion (suicide not being limited to voluntary deliberation, but also the result of foolishness),
@terry: Well if it’s on Wikipedia it must be true so…
1/250,000 chance of clot from AZ vax. 1/6000 from a long haul flight. (WHO)
@Paul Whitehead: Chances are 1/2500 dying of ‘Covid related illness’ (spin this whatever way you want & I hope my maths is correct), but I don’t see the World economy shut down for clots or long haul flights ….
@Martin Galvin: https://news.sky.com/story/risk-of-blood-clot-after-covid-is-eight-times-higher-than-after-astrazeneca-jab-study-12276088
There’ll be a lot of people up in arms over being turned away due to lack of vaccines suppy.
Now were in it, EMA is buying no more of AZ
Oh your so conspiratorial. There is no way there would be 5 consecutive stories in a row fired off in quick succession in order to seem relevant just as the relevance is waning world wide.
Just not the J&J one
Send it over here to us
Just take it.
Negative sentiment is affecting the share price. And you don’t need compensation if you are one in the x to have an adverse reaction.
Anyone know who to contact in the government? Il take them
Interesting that the Danish authorities consider the pandemic to be in control over there. This is a country with a population similar to ours, with a case number also similar to ours.
Glad I don’t have any shares in Astra Zeneca
Both the vaccines sold at cost price seem to be the ones getting all the bad publicity. Seems to me that the science is showing you’d be more likely to be hospitalised whilst sat on the toilet than taking these vaccines….so if you were going to be following a conspiracy theory I’d start with asking why an EMA approved vaccine is not been used in all these EU countries whereas we’re not hearing anything about the ones they’re making a fortune on.
have your say