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Denmark to take delivery of millions of withdrawn Covid-19 vaccines

Seven million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson are expected to be delivered to Denmark, despite the country having long since withdrawn the vaccine from its national inoculation programme.

Published: 21 September 2021 15:23 CEST
Denmark to take delivery of millions of withdrawn Covid-19 vaccines
File photo: Gaelen Morse/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

The new deliveries were reported by broadcaster TV2 on Tuesday.

Denmark already has around 600,000 doses of the J&J vaccine in storage, having decided earlier this year to withdraw it from its mainstream vaccination programme due to concerns over rare but serious side effects.

Last week, health authorities said they would sell 100,000 doses to private companies, who could use them to offer private, paid vaccination in Denmark, including to people visiting the country.

But “no decision has been made” as to the remaining 500,000 doses, according to information provided by the Ministry of Health to TV2.

The broadcaster also reports that the national infectious disease agency, State Serum Institute confirmed that Denmark is obliged to accept delivery of the vaccines.

Once they are in Denmark, the vaccines are difficult to donate to other countries via the Covax scheme, setup to promote Covid-19 vaccine equity.

That is because Covax generally only supplies vaccines directly from producers to the country which will be using them.

Danish politicians have called for the vaccines to be delivered to countries behind Denmark on vaccine distribution.

“There is absolutely no need to (take the vaccines) because we don’t need (them). We have to stop this,” Conservative party health spokesperson Per Larsen told TV2.

Just under 50,000 people in Denmark have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however. This was through a now-closed opt-in scheme set up following the withdrawal of J&J from the main vaccination programme.

According to TV2, people who received the J&J vaccine are likely to be offered a booster from Pfizer or Moderna.

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COVID-19 VACCINES

First batches of Novavax Covid vaccine to arrive in Italy

Italy will begin to administer the new anti-Covid vaccine in the coming days, as millions of doses are scheduled for dispatch across the country and in other EU nations.

Published: 25 February 2022 10:58 CET
First batches of Novavax Covid vaccine to arrive in Italy

People in Italy aged 18 and over are now eligible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with ‘Nuvaxovid’ – the name of the new Covid vaccine from the company Novavax.

Around one million doses are initially due to arrive in Italy by the end of February, according to Italian media reports.

Some 100 million initial doses in total have been shipped to Italy and other EU countries from the company’s Dutch distribution centre, the US medical company announced in a statement.

It’s hoped that Novavax could offer a more attractive alternative for previously unvaccinated people who are sceptical about the mRNA and vector vaccines.

“It’s a protein vaccine, like the flu vaccines,” said Italian medicines agency director Nicola Magrini earlier in February. “It will be a small supplement compared to the other mRna vaccines. Some seem to prefer it.”

READ ALSO: When and how will Italy offer a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose?

Some regions of Italy have already opened bookings for the new vaccine, noted Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The Marche region and Lombardy, for example, have started accepting vaccine bookings for the new inoculation, while Emilia Romagna is set to offer vaccine hubs with the new jab.

Each regional healthcare system can decide how it will administer the shot, so people looking to book their dose will need to check their region of residence’s guidelines. Find links here.

On a national level, Italy’s Ministry of Health has published a circular with instructions on the vaccine’s use ahead of its delivery.

Novavax, whose trade name is ‘Nuvaxovid’, has so far only been approved for the primary cycle. The first and second doses are given three weeks apart, while approval is pending for the third dose.

READ ALSO: How to try to get a Covid-19 vaccine without a health card in your region of Italy

A medical worker prepares a dose of Novavax

A medical worker prepares a dose of Novavax’s Covid vaccine for vaccination during a trial at St George’s University Hospital in London. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/AP | Alastair Grant

Nuvaxovid is a so-called protein vaccine which contains coronavirus-like particles that stimulate the immune system to produce defence antibodies and T-cells against SARS-CoV-2 – that is, white blood cells specialised to fight the virus to protect against Covid-19.

The ministry’s circular states that, “the duration of protection offered by the vaccine is not known, as it is still being determined in ongoing clinical trials”.

“None of the components of this vaccine can cause Covid-19,” the circular reads.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Do I need to update my Italian green pass after a booster shot?

“Protection may not be complete until seven days after administration of the second dose. As with all vaccines, vaccination with Nuvaxovid may not protect all vaccinees,” it added.

Its efficacy, calculated during the trials, is 90 percent in preventing symptomatic disease, slightly lower than for the RNA vaccines, which reached 95 percent.

Tests were carried out before the arrival of the Omicron variant, however. It is possible that the protection of Novavax has dropped a little since then.

The vaccine rollout follows its approval by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) in December, after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the go-ahead just days before.

Find more information about Italy’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign on the Italian health ministry’s website (available in English).

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