The Danish health authority said it had decided to “shut down” traffic from May 15 because so many people had been vaccinated, new infections were being reduced and hospitalization rates were stabilizing. The country, which lifted all COVID restrictions in February after “flattening” the third wave, is believed to be the first to halt growth, with health officials saying it is in a “good position”. “Therefore, we are ending the mass vaccination program,” said Bolette Soborg, the authority’s director of infectious diseases. It will continue to suggest piercings to some vulnerable groups, and health officials plan to resume traffic after the summer. “We plan to reopen the vaccination program in the fall. It will be preceded by a thorough professional evaluation of who will be vaccinated and when and with which vaccines,” Soberg said. About 81% of the country’s 5.8 million people are fully vaccinated in two doses and an additional 62% have received a booster. The American expert is cautiously optimistic The leading infectious disease specialist in the United States expressed optimism this week about the pandemic situation in the country. Dr Anthony Fauci said that although the pandemic was not over, the virus was under better control. “We are in a different moment of the pandemic,” he said. After a brutal winter outbreak, he said, “we have now slowed down and entered a more controlled phase.” He warned, however, that “by no means does this mean that the pandemic is over.”
