They may have to wait to get a vaccine.

At the end of December, the EU is expected to take a position on the Pfizer / Biontech corona vaccine, which recently received the green light in the UK.

Its phase three studies have included more than 40,000 people, which according to the Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström is more than usual when studying vaccines. Studies so far point to predominantly mild side effects.

At the same time, clinical studies have excluded some groups, which is normal in drug trials, according to Johan Brun, a physician and senior advisor to the Lif pharmaceutical industry association.

This may mean that these people have to wait longer to receive a vaccine before it is considered safe for them. Examples of groups that are excluded from vaccine studies are children and pregnant women, as well as people with severe allergies or weakened immune systems.

Uncertain effect in the elderly

Also, there is uncertainty about how older people respond to the vaccine. A US study shows that people over the age of 65 are often excluded from studies of vaccines and drugs related to COVID-19, as they have a higher risk of complications.

– There are no 90-year-olds in the studies and therefore there is uncertainty about the effectiveness of the vaccine in that group. There are also signs that older people have had a lower immune response to treatment, says Johan Brun.

He refers to the Pfizer / Biontech results, which show that people over 55 were less likely to experience common side effects, such as fever and fatigue, compared to people under 55. These side effects are a sign that the body’s immune system is activated.

– It can be seen as a disadvantage that older people are at risk of having a lower antibody response.

Regardless of how the group reacts, it is clear that people over 70 will have priority to be vaccinated in Sweden. And in the UK, the first to receive the syringe was from Pfizer / Biontech, Margaret, 90.

But according to Johan Brun, there will always be an individual assessment.

– You always do this when you have to inject new medications. You should not be too fragile a patient or have many other diseases, he says.

Some allergy sufferers should refrain

The other day, UK authorities reported that two people who had received the corona vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech had allergic reactions. The country is now advising people with a history of allergic shock to get vaccinated.

Sweden’s vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström tells SR that the advice may also be relevant in Sweden, but emphasizes that it is not about common pollen allergy sufferers:

– People allergic to peanuts or people with severe allergies to wasps, who can have an adrenaline pen at home.

According to Veronica Arthurson, head of unit at the Medical Products Agency, the EU will weigh the data in its evaluation of the vaccine.

– The final evaluation will show what the effect and safety look like for different groups, and if there will be restrictions on who should get the vaccine or not, for example allergy sufferers. Vaccinators should generally ask about allergies, he says during the Public Health Agency press conference.

Arthurson notes that it will be clear whether certain groups should give up the syringe.

– It will be discovered when the vaccine is approved, he says.

Does not contain eggs

Expressen has received several questions from readers about whether people with egg allergies can receive the corona vaccine. According to Matti Sällberg, a vaccine researcher and professor at the Karolinska Institutet, the vaccine should be free of eggs.

– Egg whites are used in the production of influenza, but not in the production of these vaccines. They are grown in cells, like the Astra Zeneca vaccine, or chemically produced, like the various RNA vaccines, says Matti Sällberg.

Former state epidemiologist Annika Linde stresses the importance of getting vaccinated for everyone who has the opportunity. She considers it “almost a duty”.

– When the elderly are offered a vaccine, they should take it. If they don’t, they can’t demand that the younger ones take responsibility, he told Expressen.