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When does the vaccination start?
Pfizer’s vaccine was approved by the EU on Monday. A first delivery to Sweden will arrive on the second day, allowing vaccination from December 27, says Sweden’s vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström. Next on the list is probably Moderna’s vaccine, which is expected to be decided by the European Medicines Agency EMA on January 6. It is followed by vaccines from other companies with which the EU has signed agreements: Astra Zeneca, Curevac and Johnson & Johnson.
What groups are next in line?
In phase 1, vaccines are offered to people who live in special housing for the elderly or have home care, elderly care personnel, medical care, other care personnel who work closely with the groups mentioned above, and close household contacts to people who have home care, says the Public Health Agency.
Phases 2 and 3 include other people who are 70 years or older, other health and care personnel who work close to patients and beneficiaries of care with a higher risk of becoming seriously ill in covid-19 and other people from 18 to 69 years old who belong to risk groups. It is not yet clear who is included in each phase.
Last but not least, there are other people between the ages of 18 and 69, who do not belong to any risk group.
When can everyone who wants to get vaccinated?
Sweden has secured vaccines for the entire population, but most will have to wait a while to get syringes. Vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström hopes that a large part of the priority groups will have received the vaccine before Easter. The aim of the Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren is that a vaccine be offered to the entire Swedish adult population in the first half of 2021.
The maternal vaccine is expected to be the second to be approved in the EU.
Photo: Paul Sancya / AP
How well does the vaccine protect?
Pfizer’s vaccine protects an average of 95 percent of those vaccinated against COVID-19, while Modernas provides 94.5 percent protection. The effect is slightly greater among younger participants than older ones, according to clinical studies.
Astra Zeneca’s vaccine has an average effect of 70%. Those who received two full doses had 62% protection, while those who received half doses followed by a total showed a 90% protective effect.
Curevac has just started its latest phase 3 study and first results are expected in the first quarter of next year, says The Local Germany. Preliminary results from Johnson & Johnson’s phase 3 study are expected in January, according to the New York Times.
What Side Effects Can You Expect?
Common side effects reported with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines include injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, joint pain, and fever. Side effects were more common after the second dose, while older people had fewer side effects than younger people. Serious adverse reactions have been reported in one percent or less in clinical trials. In the UK, two people have suffered severe allergic reactions after the Pfizer vaccine. The British urge people who have had such reactions before to stop the vaccine.
The safety of the Astra Zeneca vaccine is described as “acceptable” according to a study published in The Lancet. Two serious side effects are believed to be related to the vaccine, a case of transverse myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord) and a case of rapid transient high fever.
The outside world is still waiting for the results of Curevac and Johnson & Johnson.
Pfizer’s vaccine is the first to be approved in the EU.
Photo: Jack Guez / AFP
Can I choose the vaccine myself?
According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, you will not be able to choose the vaccine yourself, but it will be distributed as it arrives. The authority should return with recommendations if it is the case that different vaccines are to be used in different ways. At a press conference in early December, CEO Johan Carlson said according to TT:
– It will probably be different vaccines that will be the most of everything in different periods. My opinion is that the different vaccination centers will handle one vaccine at a time. There will not be a menu to choose from.
Does it cost money to get vaccinated?
The government has said that all citizens should be able to get vaccinated against covid-19 for free.
– In the foreseeable future, we do not see that people have to pay for a vaccine. The message is that no one should doubt the cost today. But if it’s about having to get vaccinated multiple times, we’ll have to come back when we’ve assessed this, said Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren in early December.
Read more:
EU approves Pfizer vaccine: can be used in a week
This is how the vaccine protects, which is expected to be the first in Sweden
