Last week, 29,000 tests were conducted in the country - the goal is to reach 100,000 in mid-May. But work is going too slow, says Lena Hallengren, who sends a clear message to the regions:

- I want to emphasize that they need to increase the pace, says the Minister of Social Affairs.

- We have a lab capacity of 100,000 a week in the country, but it is not worth much if we do not perform them.

Sweden's corona strategy is based on keeping the smallest symptoms at home and avoiding infection. This means that many choose to stay at home even if they could otherwise have worked.

- Therefore, it is now important to increase the number of tests in Sweden, says Karin Tegmark Wisell at the Public Health Agency at the press conference.

Drive-in sampling

Now, Lena Hallengren urges those regions that consider themselves to have tested enough in the most prioritized groups, including severely ill and health care personnel, to move on to the groups that come afterwards.

The Minister of Social Affairs also stresses that the government has allocated half a billion SEK for extra testing and points out that there are also opportunities for different types of sampling.

- For example, through drive-in sampling and self-testing.

Why regions and municipalities do not carry out more tests Hallengren cannot answer. But much is about coordination, says the Minister of Social Affairs.

"We as a country should cope with this"

To speed up the process, the government now appoints Harriet Wallberg, professor of physiology and former head of the Karolinska Institute, as test coordinator. Among other things, she will review what problems and bottlenecks exist in each region.

- I would like to help us as a country to cope with this, says Harriet Wallberg.

Next, Wallberg will contact all regions.

- I'm going to get into everything about testing and what there is to learn about it. I ask to come back, she says.