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The Swedish Public Health Agency announced Tuesday that use of Astra Zeneca’s covid-19 vaccine will be discontinued.
– Health centers have a huge job in contacting and informing the population that it is a break. We understand they wished there had been foresight, but this was something that came very urgently, says Kristine Rygge, a vaccine coordinator within VGR who now has about 9,000 doses in custody awaiting new directives.
Region sent by Stockholm about 25,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine were delivered to health centers on Monday. According to vaccine coordinator Magnus Thyberg, it cannot be ruled out that some of the doses were consumed before the Swedish Public Health Agency stopped the vaccine.
Read more: More than 80 people in Stockholm have to wait longer to receive vaccines
– It was a sad message, of course. We had started a wide vaccination of more than 80 in our health centers and this affects it. I understand the frustration you can feel. At the same time, it is important that there is stability and safety in the vaccines that we have and if there are suspicions, they must be investigated, he says.
Astra Zeneca announced last week to reduce vaccine deliveries to Sweden by almost 3.3 million doses by the end of the first half of the year. In relation to this, the national vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström pointed out in an interview with SVT the advantages of, like several other countries, giving only one dose of vaccine to people who have recently had COVID-19.
The Västra Götaland region wants to see a similar solution so that more people can be protected by immunity in less time. But according to Kristina Rygge, a first dose of vaccine should be prioritized over a second, even in people who have not been infected.
– It would have been desirable that more people could receive one dose and thus protect more people, and in such cases we could wait with a second dose. From our point of view, it would have been nice in the current situation considering how it looks on the delivery front, says Kristine Rygge.
– We are confident of doing so and if the Public Health Agency presents such a recommendation, we will support it.
Kristine Rygge is Vaccine Coordinator in the Västra Götaland region. She hopes that more people will receive the first dose of the vaccine.
Photo: Veronika Ljung-Nielsen
Kristine Rygge remains by Jonas Ekström, chief physician and director of vaccination in the Västmanland region.
One of the scales is that vaccines are approved based on a two-dose procedure. On the other hand, we know that even one dose provides good protection already after 4 weeks against hospitalization for covid-19. In light of the fact that we are at the beginning of a third wave, without a doubt, prioritizing dose 1 for more people could probably lead to fewer serious illnesses and deaths in covid-19, “writes Jonas Ekström in an email. to DN and continues:
“Therefore, the Västmanland region medical council for covid-19 vaccination would like to see such an adjustment of the recommendations, given the difficult situation we are in.”
Magnus Johansson, director of vaccines in the Sörmland region, is on the same path.
– There is a logic that if there is a shortage of vaccines, give everyone a dose, but we are waiting for national guidelines. Studies show that there is a pretty good protective effect already after a dose, especially when it comes to getting seriously ill and ending up in hospital or dying. We are positive if that message gets through, he says.
The Norrbotten region also believes that a change should be discussed.
“The Norrbotten region believes that it would be good to consider that at least when the older age groups have been vaccinated, this could be done by extending the interval between doses 1 and 2,” writes Pia Näsvall, chief physician and vaccination coordinator for the region. from Norrbotten in an email to DN.
How long do you know such a decision could be expected with the second dose is uncertain and depends on the vaccine used. Kristine Rygge says:
– Experience in the form of the Public Health Agency and the Medical Products Agency would have to answer that, but from our perspective it would be positive considering how it looks on the delivery front.
Discussions are also taking place in the Stockholm region on whether prioritizing dose 1 could be a possible way forward. But so far they haven’t landed on any answers, according to Magnus Thyberg.
– This is an issue that is being discussed and we are discussing it with the Public Health Agency, but we must see what effect it has and how much faster vaccination can go from such a measure. It’s not obvious that you earn that much, he says.
DN has been in contact with infection control in 12 regions. Several respond that talks are being held with the Swedish Public Health Agency about the vaccination scheme, but that they currently do not want to comment on the matter.
