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Mass vaccination against covid-19 has started in Sweden.
The strategy of the Swedish Public Health Agency mainly prioritizes people who live in special housing for the elderly or have home care services, as well as people who come into close contact with these groups, such as staff working in the elderly care and medical care.
The strategy is criticized by Sahlgrenska University Hospital, which has asked the Swedish Public Health Agency to adjust its order of priority so that even employees who care for patients with covidity are immediately vaccinated. With the increase in the spread of infection, the management fears that the situation will become directly dangerous for society if the infection spreads among staff.
Also Vårdförbundet in Skåne wants IVA, emergency rooms, and ambulance crews to be queued first. Like Sahlgrenska, they believe the prioritization was initially correct.
– But since then, the number of covid patients has only skyrocketed, so now you must change the order of priority in favor of healthcare personnel, says Malin Tillgren, president of the Skåne Care Association, to Helsingborgs Dagblad.
In Norway, the National Institute of Public Health has decided that caregivers with close contact with patients in critical positions should receive vaccinations while living in nursing homes.
– These are people who are absolutely crucial to maintain capacity in medical care, also in relation to the increase in infection, says the head of the authority, Camilla Stoltenberg, to NRK.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.
Photo: Jonas Lindstedt
But the Public Health Agency He currently has no plans to change his strategy.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell believes that Swedish healthcare is built on a clear platform, which means that people in greatest need must receive care first. He says he “can really understand” how Sahlgrenska reasons, but appreciates that a change of priority means going against the platform. If you’re going to do that, you need to have a broad discussion first so that all regions support the strategy, he says.
At the same time, he says that the Swedish Public Health Agency is absolutely ready to have a conversation with Sahlgrenska.
– I just want to point out that this is not an easy question for us or anyone else. You also need to remember that if you prioritize someone, you prioritize someone else. The amount of vaccine is determined.
In theory, it’s already today free for individual regions to prioritize their vaccine as they wish, Tegnell says.
– These are recommendations, not coercion. We cannot force the regions, but I think it is not appropriate for the regions to go in different directions. It is against us to have the same care in Sweden.
Read more:
Sahlgrenska wants to vaccinate health personnel immediately
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