Denmark suspends COVID vaccination campaign
A woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a pop-up vaccination center at a Bilka supermarket in Ishoej, Denmark, in this Sep. 11, 2021, file photo. Denmark said Tuesday it was suspending its widespread COVID-19 vaccination campaign. AFP-Yonhap
Denmark, which in February lifted all curbs related to the coronavirus pandemic, said Tuesday it was suspending its widespread COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Noting that the epidemic was under control and that vaccination levels were high, the Danish Health Authority said the country was in a "good position."
"Therefore we are winding down the mass vaccination program against COVID-19," said Bolette Soborg, director of the authority's department of infectious diseases.
Around 81 percent of Denmark's 5.8 million inhabitants have received two doses of the vaccine and 61.6 percent have also received a booster.
Denmark noted a drop in the number of new infections and stable hospitalization rates.
While invitations for vaccinations would no longer be issued after May 15, health officials anticipate that vaccinations would resume after the summer.
"We plan to reopen the vaccination program in the autumn. This will be preceded by a thorough professional assessment of who and when to vaccinate and with which vaccines," Soberg said.
As a wave of the Omicron variant hit the country last November, Denmark intensified its immunization campaign, accelerating access to booster shots and offering a fourth dose from mid-January to the most vulnerable. (AFP)