Denmark will no longer use the Johnson & Johnson corona vaccine in its vaccination strategy. The Danish health institute Sundhedsstyrelsen announced this on Monday. Denmark previously decided to no longer administer the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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The decision comes after a few reports of a combination of thrombosis and low platelet counts in the United States. At the end of April, the European Medicines Agency EMA ruled that a combination of thrombosis and a low platelet count should indeed be included in the package leaflet as a very rare side effect of the Johnson & Johnson corona vaccine, but that the benefits still far outweigh the decisive factor.
“Clearly, this was a difficult decision, especially since we are in the midst of the epidemic and have already pushed aside the AstraZeneca corona vaccine,” said Helene Probst, deputy director of the Danish Institute of Health. The measure is being taken because the epidemic in Denmark is currently well controlled and good progress is being made with the other corona vaccines, it said.
Four weeks delay
Denmark already decided in mid-April for a similar reason stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccination campaign is delayed due to the scrapping of the Janssen vaccine. The last target group, with Danes between 25 and 39 years old, would have to wait up to four weeks longer for a first injection. However, the health institute does not rule out the possibility that the vaccine could still be administered later ‘if the situation in Denmark were to change’.
Denmark had ordered about seven million doses of the Janssen vaccine, more than the other manufacturers. The Danish prime minister previously called it a ‘game changer’ for the vaccination campaign, because it only takes one shot.
Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are now likely to be made available voluntarily and free of charge to those who wish to do so. A majority in the Danish parliament reached an agreement on this on Monday afternoon.
It is therefore uncertain whether other countries will be able to take over the Danish vaccines. At the cabinet of Flemish Minister of Health Wouter Beke (CD&V), it is currently only heard that this is being examined and may be on the agenda of the consultation of the health ministers of our country on Wednesday.
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