Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Amid Omicron Variant Threat, Denmark Offers Fourth Dose Vaccine

Illustrations of COVID-19 in Denmark. (Wikimedia Commons / Lars Plougmann)

JAKARTA - Danish authorities will offer a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccination to the most vulnerable citizens as they face record infections from the Omicron variant, the country's health minister said on Wednesday.

The move comes as lawmakers agree to relax restrictions by the end of the week, including reopening cinemas and music venues, as hospitalization and death rates have stabilized despite a spike in cases.

"The more widespread the infection in the community, the greater the risk that infection will reach those of us who are most vulnerable," said Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke.

"We are now starting a new chapter, which is the decision to offer a fourth blow to the most vulnerable citizens," he told reporters.

Denmark experienced a spike in daily COVID-19 infections in mid-December, prompting new restrictions.

However, while infection rates remain near record levels of over 20.000 a day, hospital admissions and deaths have stabilized at levels below last year's.

"We are in a better position than we anticipated and feared," said Soren Brostrom, head of the Danish Health Agency.

"We can now say with more certainty that this new viral variant, which is now dominant, causes less disease," he said.

Separately, members of the Danish Parliament agreed to reopen theaters, cinemas, museums, amusement parks, and botanical gardens, and allow limited audiences at indoor and outdoor sporting events.

Denmark has high support for COVID-19 vaccination, with four in five receiving two punctures and more than half the population receiving three.

It is planned that a fourth dose of the vaccine will be rolled out to the citizens of the country's most vulnerable this weekend. Health authorities are also considering offering a fourth injection to the elderly and people in nursing homes.

Data from Denmark's top infectious disease authority, the Statens Serum Institute (SSI) shows that people who are not vaccinated are five to six times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting the virus than those who are vaccinated.

To note, the European Union drug regulator (EMA) has previously expressed doubts about the need for a fourth dose, saying there is no data to support this approach as it seeks more information on the fast-spreading variant.

Meanwhile, fellow European Union member Hungary said it was considering giving a fourth dose of the vaccine. As for Chile and Israel, they have started the launch.