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HEALTH-VIRUS-DENMARK-NORWAY-VACCINE
Norway, Denmark reserve AstraZeneca vaccine for under-65s
OSLO, Feb 4, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Norwegian and Danish health authorities said
Thursday they will limit use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to those under
age 65, citing a lack of data on its efficacy for the elderly.
The two Nordic nations followed in the footsteps of several others in the
European Union, of which Norway is not a member but to which it is closely
linked, including for the procurement of Covid vaccines negotiated by
Brussels.
The head of Norway’s public health agency FHI, Camilla Stoltenberg, told
reporters the decision was made “not because the vaccine doesn’t work for the
elderly, but because the documentation is so limited”.
Health authorities in Germany, France and Sweden have also recommended the
jab only be used on under-65s.
In Norway and Denmark, exemptions will also be made for under-65s with
underlying health conditions and at risk of developing severe cases of Covid-
19. They will continue to receive the vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and
Moderna.
For others who will receive the AstraZeneca inoculation, the two doses
will be administered between nine and 12 weeks apart in Norway, and four to
12 weeks apart in Denmark.
“We see that a longer interval between the doses provides better
protection,” said Sara Watle, a doctor at Norway’s FHI.
Norway, a country of 5.4 million, has one of Europe’s lowest Covid
incidence rates, according to EU disease agency ECDC.
So far, at least 135,000 people in Norway have received a first vaccine
dose and more than 30,000 a second dose, and the country hopes to have
vaccinated most of its adult population by summer.
In Denmark, the EU country with the second-highest vaccination rate after
Malta, 1.68 percent of its 5.8 million inhabitants have received two doses
and 3.28 percent have received a first dose. The country hopes to have
vaccinated all adults by July 4.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1604 hrs