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Hallengren: there is a national plan
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Earlier this week, word came in that Sweden may, at best, start to be vaccinated against the crown from December.
But Ulf Kristersson of the moderates criticizes the fact that Sweden lacks a concrete vaccination plan and demands that it be present before the New Year.
-It shouldn’t be like with the tests this spring, where you didn’t know who would do what, he tells Aftonbladet.
News that the European Commission may approve a vaccine before Christmas came earlier this week.
The UK and Germany quickly announced that they are ready to start vaccinating before the turn of the year, and Sweden’s vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström, who previously said Sweden won’t get the vaccine until January, is cautiously positive.
– I’m not sure it’s entirely realistic but it’s not impossible either, he says and continues:
– But then it’s in very small volumes. The important thing is that the organization in the country, which will vaccinate several million people, has been ready since the beginning of January. If it happens that there is a vaccine before, we will have a solution for that.
Photo: Björn Lindahl
Ulf Kristersson (M).
“At least a bad year”
At the end of May this year, the government commissioned the Swedish Public Health Agency to draw up a national plan on how future vaccination against covid-19 would be carried out.
The assignment will be permanently reported to the Ministry of Social Affairs and a partial assignment report was issued on August 31.
A final report is due no later than January 28, 2022, which is too late, says the leader of the party of the moderates, Ulf Kristersson, who is critical of the handling:
– It must be at least one wrong year, he tells Aftonbladet, adding that Sweden currently lacks a concrete plan on how vaccines should be handled when there is a vaccine in place.
– It is very good that now it seems that we will have access to the vaccine much faster than we thought at first, but then we must make sure at the same time that we start with the vaccination, and that it will not be the same as with the tests in spring. That is said to be fine but that no one knows exactly how we are going to do it.
Photo: Magnus Sandberg
Lena Hallengren (S).
Requirements for plan before New Year
Therefore, Kristersson is looking for a detailed plan even before the vaccine is given.
– If suddenly there is a vaccine that is going to be stored at least 70 degrees below zero, it is important that we have carefully thought about how it should be handled. Much of this must be done before delivery arrives, and now it can arrive at any time.
He cites neighboring countries like Germany and the UK as role models.
– There they are currently rigorously testing and testing the system even though there is no vaccine in place yet. In Sweden they have only submitted a partial report stating that there is still a lot to do and problems to solve.
Ulf Kristersson demands that the government present a vaccination plan before the New Year.
– There must be a logistics plan, who will do what and who will finance it. There is no question of goodwill, but the problem is that it should not be like last spring where you did not know who would do what.
Hallengren: may need to be updated
According to the Minister of Social Affairs, Lena Hallengren, preparations for vaccination are underway, both at the national and regional levels.
– They are based on the national vaccination plan of the Swedish Public Health Agency, which was drawn up on behalf of the government and presented in a first version on 31 August.
According to her, the end date is set in 2022 due to the fact that the government as early as May judged that new vaccines may still need to be handled over the next year.
– May require updates. To take this into account, the Swedish Public Health Agency was assigned a longer task regarding the vaccination plan. But, of course, preparations are underway to handle the vaccines that come first.
“Is there a national vaccination plan?”
But how do you view Ulf Kristersson’s criticism and demands that a plan be presented before the New Year?
– There is a national vaccination plan that is being worked on and many preparations are being made to resolve in more detail the handling of the covid-19 vaccine. The plan establishes that priority must be given to the elderly, risk groups and health and care personnel. Exactly how the vaccination is to be done depends on which vaccine or vaccines are approved, for whom it is most effective, when the vaccine is given, and in what volume.
Kristersson compares it to what it looked like from testing this spring, is there a situation you’ve learned from?
– Sweden has long had structures for major vaccination campaigns. Right now, for example, hundreds of thousands of older people are being vaccinated against seasonal flu. I also believe that all relevant actors, states, regions, authorities, feel that vaccine work is a common concern for Sweden. It is important that we work together.
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