Denmark ends COVID boosters for people under 50
The Danish Health Authority announced that people under 50 will no longer be offered COVID boosters, with very limited exceptions. This is owing to "good immunity among this part of the population," the government said.
People under 50 will no longer be offered COVID-19 booster shots, the Danish Health Authority has announced. Exceptions will be made for those at risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, as well as workers in specific sectors including health care and elder care.
The health authority’s website states that it expects the number of COVID-19 infections to rise during fall and winter. It plans to release guidelines for which groups of people under 50 will be offered booster shots.
One of the FAQ posted on the website reads, “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.
Denmark previously banned giving the COVID vaccines to most children. Since July 1, it has not been possible for children and adolescents under 18 to receive a first dose of the vaccines, with very limited exceptions for those at risk of becoming severely ill, subject to a doctor’s individual assessment. The health authority’s website notes, “Children and adolescents rarely become severely ill from the Omicron variant of covid-19.”
Canada continues to widely recommend booster shots and make them available to those over 12 years old. For example, updated guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Health released on August 31 recommend a booster of the Pfizer vaccine six months after the second dose for those 5-11 years old.
Adults are now recommended to receive two booster shots, one in the first month after the original second dose, and the second booster five months after the first.
The United States also widely recommends booster shots. “If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a statement from September 1.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Denmark had banned COVID-19 vaccinations for people under 50, with some exceptions. The new recommendation applies to booster doses, not the primary vaccine series.
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