Advertisement

membership exclusives For Members

Today in Denmark: A round-up of the latest news on Friday

Michael Barrett
Michael Barrett - [email protected]
Today in Denmark: A round-up of the latest news on Friday
Det varme vejr fortsætter i vinterferien i Nordjylland, her på strandenj i Løkken, 22. februar 2021.. (Foto: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix)

Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short round-up of the news in less than five minutes.

Advertisement

Denmark agrees deal for vaccine development with Israel, Austria

Leaders from Israel, Austria and Denmark announced Thursday in Jerusalem an alliance for the development and production of future generation coronavirus vaccines.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said the three countries "all have promising research that could pave the way for a next generation platform", adding they "would like also to explore possible cooperation on clinical trials".

Denmark and Austria are European Union members, and the Israeli partnership has elicited criticism from fellow EU state France, which said the European framework remained the best way to guarantee "solidarity" within the bloc.

Here’s the report on the deal in full.

Domestic criticism of PM’s deal

The deal struck by Frederiksen with the two other nations, as well as the visit to Israel itself, has also drawn criticism at home, from both opposition and allied parliamentary parties.

Peder Hvelplund, the parliamentary group leader of the left-wing Red Green Alliance, one of the parties which props up the minority government, said he was “deeply astonished” by “what the prime minister is running around and doing in Israel. This is not something she has agreed parliamentary parties,” he said.

Advertisement

The Socialist People’s Party’s political spokesperson, Karsten Hønge, said Frederiksen was an “extra” in Netanyahu’s election campaign, national broadcaster DR reports, while Jakon Ellemann-Jensen of the opposition Liberal party called the deal with Israel and Austria “inconcrete”.

AstraZeneca vaccine will now be given to all age groups

The Danish Health Authority is now recommending that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can be given to all adults over the age of 18. It was previously only recommended for people under 65.

In a statement, the health authority said results from a study in Scotland has shown that the vaccine significantly reduces the chance of serious illness including hospitalisation with Covid-19, and that the effect had been documented for all age groups.

Cold, clear start to weekend

Cold and clear air is expected to persist throughout Friday after a frosty start to the day. Between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius is forecast along with plenty of sun.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also