Booster vaccination brought forward for anyone aged 40 and over
Due to the new and highly contagious Omicron virus variant, the Danish Health Authority has decided to bring forward the third dose. Everyone aged 40 and over can now get the top-up vaccine as early as 4,5 months after their second dose.
Right now, there is a resurgence of the epidemic in Denmark, and we expect to see a rapidly rising number of Omicron cases. While the fast-spreading Omicron variant may compromise some of the immunity obtained from vaccination, preliminary data suggest that a third dose will protect you from becoming severely ill from COVID-19.
"We are in a serious situation because of the new and more contagious variant. Fortunately, we have already revaccinated the most senior citizens in Denmark and can now bring forward booster vaccination for anyone aged 40 and over, so they get their third dose 4,5 months after receiving the second dose. In this way, we can increase immunity in the population and get those who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 safely through the winter season,” says Søren Brostrøm, Director General of the Danish Health Authority.
The rollout of the booster jabs applies to anyone born in 1981 or earlier, and they can get their third dose 140 days after their second dose. People in those age groups can go to vacciner.dk now and book their top-up jab without waiting to get their invitation through the e-Boks. Starting Monday, you can also contact any vaccine sites that offer drop-in vaccination. The Danish Health Authority urges anyone eligible to get the third booster dose as soon as possible.
"We are inviting a lot of people simultaneously and ask you to arm yourself with patience. Please know that we are doing everything possible to provide time slots, but you will encounter waiting times for vacciner.dk and crowds at the vaccine sites. If you are unable to find open time slots in the near future on vacciner.dk, we recommend that you try again later as more time slots are continuously opening up,” says Søren Brostrøm.
More than 700,000 people will receive their invitations through the e-Boks this week, which puts a lot of pressure on the booking system. Over the last few weeks, the Danish regions have massively increased their capacity and will continue to do so. Furthermore, all regions are increasingly involving general practitioners, private vaccination companies and pharmacies in the vaccination programme.
Find the nearest vaccine site
Get your booster vaccine if you are over 40 and 4,5 months have gone by since your second dose.