Denmark is seeking to swap its undesirable AstraZeneca jabs for different coronavirus vaccines owned by different nations after ditching it totally over blood clot fears.
In the meantime, it was introduced by the Swedish Well being Company on Tuesday that Swedes beneath 65 who’ve had one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine shall be given a unique vaccine for his or her second dose.
The bulletins from the 2 Scandinavian nations come amid fears over very uncommon instances of the AstraZeneca vaccine inflicting blood clots in sufferers.
Final week, Denmark utterly ceased to manage the jab as a part of its vaccination programme as a result of doable well being threat, becoming a member of The Netherlands and Norway in utterly blocking its use.
Denmark is seeking to swap its undesirable AstraZeneca jabs for different coronavirus vaccines owned by different nations after ditching it totally over blood clot fears. Pictured: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen throughout a go to to the vaccination heart in Roskilde Congress Middle, Denmark, 12 April 2021
Denmark’s well being minister Magnus Heunicke confirmed on Monday that discussions have been going down between Denmark and different nations over vaccine swaps.
‘Right here and now, we nonetheless want secure and accredited vaccines. That’s Pfizer and Moderna at the moment,’ Heunicke stated, The Native reported.
‘If we are able to organize a swap cope with different nations whereby we ship AstraZeneca vaccines to them and we get a few of their Pfizer vaccines, that might naturally be fascinating,’ he added.
Heunicke stated that ‘the earlier we are able to get the inhabitants vaccinated, the quicker we are able to elevate Denmark out of the pandemic’.
The minister didn’t reveal the id of the nations that Denmark has opened talks with over a possible swap, however most nations in Europe are nonetheless utilizing the vaccine, though many have restricted which age teams it’s administered to.
‘It’s too early to say whether or not we shall be profitable however it will definitely be of nice curiosity for us,’ Heunicke stated, including that there has already been curiosity proven in buying Denmark’s vaccines by different nations.
‘As there are lots of nations round us which have an epidemic on a totally totally different stage to Denmark,’ he stated.
Graphs displaying Denmark’s seven-day rolling common variety of new day by day coronavirus infections (prime) and associated deaths (backside). As of Monday, Denmark has administered at whole of 1.58 million Covid-19 jab doses to its virtually 5.8 million inhabitants – a price of 27.24 doses per 100 individuals, barely increased than the European Union common of 25.66 per 100 individuals
On Tuesday, Sweden introduced that anybody beneath the age of 65 who has already been given their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine can be supplied another for his or her second dose.
Sweden paused the usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March after reviews of uncommon, however severe, blood clots amongst individuals who had acquired that shot. It later resumed the usage of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, however just for individuals aged 65 or above.
‘We’ve got come to the conclusion that folks beneath 65 who’ve already been vaccinated with AstraZeneca are advisable to obtain a second dose of mRNA vaccine, comparable to Pfizer or Moderna,’ Chief Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell informed a information convention.
He stated that the advantages of the AstraZeneca vaccine clearly outweighed the dangers for individuals over 65.
Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns all through the pandemic, is within the midst of a 3rd wave of the pandemic which is straining the healthcare system.
The nation registered 16,692 new coronavirus instances since Friday, well being company statistics confirmed on Tuesday, a lower in contrast with 19,105 instances through the corresponding interval final week.
Whereas instances have been excessive, the Well being Company credit the vaccination scheme for preserving the variety of deaths in current weeks comparatively low.
Pictured: Individuals wait to get a vaccine in opposition to the coronavirus illness (COVID-19) at an evening membership which was changed into a mass vaccination heart, in Stockholm, Sweden, April 16, 2021. Sweden paused the usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March after reviews of uncommon, however severe, blood clots amongst individuals who had acquired that shot
Pictured: Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (centre) seems at Well being Minister Magnus Heunicke (second-left) throughout a coronavirus information convention final 12 months. Heunicke has introduced Denmark is seeking to swap its undesirable AstraZeneca jabs for different coronavirus vaccines owned by different nations after ditching it totally over blood clot fears
Greater than 265,000 individuals have had a vaccine shot since Friday, which means 23.1 % of the inhabitants above 18 have now acquired at the very least one injection.
The nation of 10 million inhabitants registered 37 new deaths, taking the whole to 13,825. The deaths registered have occurred over a number of days and generally weeks.
Sweden’s demise price per capita is many occasions increased than that of its Nordic neighbours’ however decrease than in most European nations that opted for lockdowns.
Denmark, in the meantime, has registered 244,067 instances on coronavirus, and as of Tuesday was registering a seven-day-rolling common of 724 new infections per-day.
The nation has seen a complete of two,460 whole deaths, after reporting simply 4 on Tuesday, after reporting no increased than three deaths per day since early April.
As of Monday, Denmark has administered at whole of 1.58 million Covid-19 jab doses to its virtually 5.8 million inhabitants – a price of 27.24 doses per 100 individuals, barely increased than the European Union common of 25.66 per 100 individuals.
Graphs displaying Sweden’s seven-day rolling common variety of new day by day coronavirus infections (prime) and associated deaths (backside). In Sweden, greater than 265,000 individuals have had a vaccine shot since Friday, which means 23.1 % of the inhabitants above 18 have now acquired at the very least one injection
On April 14, Denmark utterly ceased administering the AstraZeneca vaccine as a result of its doable hyperlink to very uncommon instances of blood clots.
The choice eliminated the shot from Denmark’s vaccination scheme and will delay the nation’s vaccine rollout by as much as 4 weeks, based mostly on earlier statements by well being our bodies.
‘The Danish Well being Authority has determined to proceed the vaccination in opposition to Covid-19 with out the vaccine from AstraZeneca,’ it stated in an announcement earlier this months, including that it had not dominated out utilizing the vaccine sooner or later.
On April 19, Ritzau information company reported that authorities could allow individuals to decide on to have the vaccine.
On the time of its suspension, the AstraZeneca vaccine had been given to fifteen.3 % of the then-roughly a million individuals in Denmark who had been given a vaccination does.
Pictured: A medical employee vaccinates a person in opposition to the coronavirus illness (COVID-19) in Frederikshavn, Jutland, Denmark, April 12, 2021 – two days earlier than the nation ceased to manage the AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears
Pictured: A map displaying nations which have both suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine, or restricted its use on numerous age teams
Denmark was the primary nation to pause the usage of the AstraZeneca jab in March amid issues about blood clots.
A number of different nations adopted swimsuit although most, together with Germany and France, have since resumed the usage of the vaccine for older individuals.
Denmark has additionally put Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine on pause pending additional investigations right into a doable hyperlink to uncommon blood clot instances.
The European Union’s drug watchdog stated earlier this month that it had discovered a doable hyperlink between the AstraZeneca vaccine and really uncommon blood clot instances.
Nonetheless it stated the danger of dying from Covid-19 was ‘a lot higher’ than the danger of mortality from uncommon negative effects.
The regulator left it as much as particular person states to make their very own threat assessments and determine tips on how to administer the vaccine based mostly on native circumstances that adjust broadly throughout the bloc.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is considerably cheaper than different vaccines and is less complicated to retailer because it doesn’t require to be stored at a particularly low temperature.
The priority over clots and blended messages surrounding the vaccine are anticipated to have an effect on individuals’s willingness to take it.
The European Fee can be engaged in a row with AstraZeneca over missed supply targets.
It accuses the British-Swedish firm of breaking its contract and claims it’s at fault for the gradual begin to the EU’s vaccination marketing campaign.
The Fee has threatened to dam exports of jabs out of the EU till the corporate fulfils its excellent orders from the bloc.
AstraZeneca denies breaking the contract.
Denmark’s choice on April 14 got here as EU Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen introduced plans for a serious contract extension for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccines stretching to 2023.
In an indication of confidence in an organization that has been a mainstay of Europe’s vaccination drive thus far, von der Leyen stated the EU will begin negotiating to purchase 1.8billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by way of 2023.
Von der Leyen expressed full confidence within the know-how used for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is totally different from the know-how behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
We have to concentrate on the applied sciences which have confirmed their value,’ von der Leyen stated.
Pfizer-BioNTech plans to supply the EU with an additional 50 million dozes within the 2nd quarter of this 12 months, on prime of 200 million doses already earmarked for the bloc.
The deliveries shall be particularly welcomed by the EU’s 27 member nations contemplating provide delays and issues over the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The European Fee at present has a portfolio of two.3 billion doses from a half dozen firms and is negotiating extra contracts.
The deliberate negotiations with Pfizer left within the center what the EU would do about any new contracts with AstraZeneca.
The European Fee stated in an announcement, ‘We hold all choices open to be ready for the subsequent levels of the pandemic, for 2022 and past. We are able to, nonetheless, not touch upon contractual points.’
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