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Almost 600,000 Swedes will be vaccinated first.
But 2.6 million are included in the priority groups of the Public Health Agency.
– I think we are talking about March, April, May, so that these people are offered vaccinations, says Vaccine Coordinator Richard Bergström.
When vaccination against covid-19 begins in Sweden, priority will be given to 570,000 Swedes.
These are the elderly who receive home care, live in special housing and those who work with these groups, as well as the adults who live with someone who receives home care.
But 1.6 million Swedes are over 70, according to Statistics Sweden. A total of 2.6 million Swedes are included in priority groups, according to the national plan of the Swedish Public Health Agency.
Photo: Jessica Gow / TT
Vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström during Friday’s press conference.
“We talk March, April, May”
When they can be vaccinated is a question for the Swedish Public Health Agency to answer, says Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström.
– My job is to bring the vaccines to the country and keep everyone informed about this process and what vaccines are yet to come. But how to organize this in practice, and then how to prioritize, is the other responsibility, says Richard Bergström.
Aftonbladet has approached the Swedish Public Health Agency on the matter, to no avail.
The vaccine coordinator still gives an estimate.
– I think that for those who are not on this first list of the Public Health Agency, it is still the case that we are talking about March, April, May, so that these people are offered vaccines.
Photo: Hans Pennink / AP Photo
A vaccine sample is developed during Moderna’s large study.
Everyone can get vaccinated during the first half of the year.
Vaccines can be offered to the entire population of Sweden in the first half of 2021, according to the vaccine coordinator.
– If everything works according to plan, we will have enough for everyone who wants to get vaccinated during the second trimester, possibly in the third trimester, says Richard Bergström.
It is not yet clear which company or companies will provide Sweden with the first 1.2 million doses of vaccine needed for the first group of almost 600,000 Swedes.
– There are three companies that now appear to be able to comply during the first quarter, if they are approved: Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca. Of the three together, we will receive more than 4 million doses during the first trimester, if all goes well. Then two vaccines are added if approved. So in the first half of the year, there are five providers, and then there will be more after the summer, says Richard Bergström.
Vaccination may be required to travel
At today’s press conference, the vaccine coordinator said that those who are scared or skeptical about getting vaccinated “will wait and see,” because it is still a small group that will get vaccinated first.
Richard Bergström develops the rationale and says they are still waiting for more information on the vaccine and the side effect profiles.
– When we see that the authorities approve the vaccine – we still do not have an approved vaccine for the EU – and all the information is available from the main studies, then the situation is different from the current one.
– The other thing that is added is the outside world – What are other people doing, what are the requirements? There will surely be countries that require proof of vaccination to travel there. There may be certain destinations that also require you to have been vaccinated to arrive and universities that require you to be vaccinated. In other countries, I have heard that there are private companies that say that you will need to be vaccinated if you are going to work in a certain place. So there is a dynamic that is not just about data and science, but about how other people are behaving and what the requirements are around the world.
“Then maybe the doubt will change”
The fact that Sweden is a travel town may affect the attitude of Swedes towards vaccination, believes the vaccine coordinator.
– You may feel for yourself that if you are going to take that trip to Spain, or a beer bread in Greece, then you may feel that it may be safe to have taken that vaccine. So maybe their hesitation turned into a positive decision, says Richard Bergström.
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