In November, the message came that the world had hoped for: at least three different vaccines against covid-19 seem to work, and also significantly better than expected.

Modernas 'and Pfizer / BioNtech's vaccines provide protection of around 95 percent, and AstraZenecas' around 70 percent.

The companies' vaccine data are currently being reviewed by pharmaceutical authorities around the world, and if they are approved in the EU, vaccination can start as early as January.

A big advantage in that case is that Sweden is already very good at vaccinating.

The childhood vaccination program reaches 97 percent of the country's two-year-olds.

It is also just over ten years since Sweden carried out a similar mass vaccination.

During the swine flu, five million people were vaccinated within six months. 

Management a challenge

At the same time, there are some challenges that are specific to this particular occasion.

The vaccines must be produced in sufficient quantities, which can take a long time.

They must be given in two doses, at intervals of several weeks, in the middle of the ongoing spread of infection.

Handling can create problems, as Pfizer's vaccine must be stored in minus 70 degrees, and can only last a few days in the refrigerator.

The mother's vaccine lasts a month in the fridge.

AstraZeneca's vaccine, on the other hand, does not need to be stored frozen, but in a refrigerator, and is also significantly cheaper than its competitors.

There, the question is rather efficiency.

The company has stated a range between 62 to 90 percent protection, where the higher figure is based on a small group of test subjects who received a smaller dose of the vaccine than expected. 

Can save lives

Then it remains to be seen whether the vaccines are as effective in reality, as the first results suggest.

We do not yet know much about how well the vaccines work among the elderly and risk groups or how long the protection lasts.

The vaccines seem to be able to prevent serious illness, and in that case can save lives, but we still do not know if they completely prevent people from becoming infected with the virus.

It is a must to stop the spread of infection and gain control of the pandemic. 

How many will want to take the syringes will be decisive.

Risk groups seem more motivated, but it is required that more than those who are at risk of being severely affected by the virus also get vaccinated, if the outcome is to be what everyone hopes for, ie that the pandemic is stopped. 

After the vaccination against swine flu, it is known that several hundred Swedes, mainly children and young people, suffered from the incurable disease narcolepsy.

But it should be remembered that that vaccine was only tested on five thousand people before it was approved.

The vaccines against covid-19 will have been tested in more detail, on significantly more people and for a longer period of time, and the authorities will follow those who take the syringes carefully to be able to quickly detect if rare side effects occur. 

Risk to benefit

Unfortunately, all medications have side effects, including headache tablets, and for those who are hesitant, it is important to weigh the risk against the benefit and perhaps to wait a bit until more information is available. 

The more people who take a vaccine, the more there is also information about both risks and safety.

The whole of the EU, the USA and other countries will start vaccinating at about the same time, which means that we will quickly learn even more about how the new vaccines work, when millions of people have received the injections.  

Only vaccines can stop a pandemic - and although many questions remain, as has been said, the situation looks brighter than in a long time.