Therefore, Sweden does not reach the target of 100,000 tests a week

Social Minister Lena Hallengren (S) has been clear that it is the responsibility of the regions and municipalities to ensure that all tests are carried out. At a press conference last week, she urged the regions to increase the pace.

Something that seems easier said than done.

- That we have not achieved the goal is partly that the labs we use do not have fully functioning digital systems to register the test answers so that they enter the care system. The other bottleneck is about transporting test kits to and from the places where the samples are to be taken, says Harriet Wallberg, the government's new test coordinator.

The government's ambition was to test 100,000 people per week from mid-May, but last week only came up with a total of 29,400 tests.

- I can't judge when we can reach the goal. You are working very intensively to get the test started and I have high hopes that it will be possible relatively quickly now, says Wallberg.

The purpose of the extended testing is to prevent the spread of infection and get people who do not carry the corona virus back to work.

How the test situation looks varies between regions, but in recent weeks, work has taken off in some places, including in Skåne, Stockholm, Sörmland and Västra Götaland.

- There has been an acceleration of sampling, especially in the Västra Götaland region. There were around 200 tests per day last week, and this week you are up to 800-1000 tests per day, says Emma Spak, section manager at the department of care and care at Sweden's municipalities and regions (SKR).

Sampling takes place along the Public Health Authority's priority list. In the first place, patients in need of hospital care and then staff in care and care are tested. In some regions, staff have also started testing so-called socially important operations, which is the third step.

- This may involve, for example, police and rescue personnel. To do a test, the employer must certify that you have symptoms and need to be tested, says Harriet Wallberg.

At present, only those who have symptoms should be tested, with the exception of the elderly care where the test is broader. In a fourth step, "other relevant parts of society" should also be included, but Emma Spak cannot answer when that will happen. 

- There are dialogues about how things can go, but we are not quite there yet. The work has been focused on groups one and two and is to some extent now also on group three, she says.