JERUSALEM (BLOOMBERG) - Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended her government's decision to try to hoard vaccines beyond those available within the European Union, as she suggested that the pandemic might never fully disappear, creating a long-term need for continual re-vaccinations.

Speaking from Jerusalem shortly after meeting with her Israeli and Austrian counterparts, Ms Frederiksen said there's "no indication" the coronavirus is going away.

As a result, the Danish government is planning for a scenario in which citizens can be vaccinated and re-vaccinated "year after year after year", she said.

It's about "more vaccines and greater security".

Ms Frederiksen said she turned to Israel because it's the "global leader in rolling out vaccines".

Her government is now looking into the feasibility of building a vaccine plant to ratchet up supply.

Ms Frederiksen suggested that more countries might soon want their own national production capacity to ensure access to long-term immunisation resources.

"We're in a new situation," Ms Frederiksen said. "We were totally unprepared in March (last year) when the pandemic broke out."

A year on, "we can see that re-vaccinations year after year are a realistic scenario".

Asked whether her decision to turn to Israel represents a breach of Denmark's collaboration within the EU, Ms Frederiksen said working with the bloc remains "important".

"We'll stay inside that collaboration and do everything we can to strengthen it," she said. "But alongside that collaboration, we're now working with Israel."