Which vaccines may be relevant in Sweden?
Sweden has so far taken a position on, and signed agreements with, five vaccine manufacturers.
Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen-Cilag and Curevac.
These are EU-wide agreements.
The European Commission also has an agreement for a sixth vaccine, but it is an option agreement that the government has the opportunity to decide on at a later stage.
It is a vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur that is expected to arrive after the summer.
The approval of the covid-19 vaccine is done in collaboration with the other countries in the EU.
The EMA, the European Medicines Agency, currently has four applications.
They are from Astra Zeneca / Oxford, Pfizer / Biontech, Moderna and Janssen-Cilag.
Two of the vaccines - Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna - have come further in the process and have applied to enter the market.
If no additions are needed, they can be approved on December 29 and January 12, respectively.
How many doses should Sweden buy?
In total, Sweden has signed agreements for 23.3 million doses that will be enough for just over 11.6 million people.
This is more than the number of people living in Sweden, but the government wants to ensure that they have access to a vaccine even if a vaccine they have signed an agreement on would not be approved.
Modern: 1.8 million doses
Pfizer / Biontech: 4.5 million doses
Astra Zeneca: 8 million doses (6 + 2 million)
Janssen-Cilag: 4.5 million doses
Curevac: 4.5 million doses
When will the vaccine arrive?
An approval for Pfizer's vaccine is expected as early as mid-days or in January, according to vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström.
- Then the approval for Moderna is expected shortly thereafter.
An approval for Astra Zeneca I think can come at the end of January, he says when SVT talks to him on December 8.
The vaccines from Jansen-Cilag and Curevac will not arrive until April.
Who will get which of the vaccine?
Several different aspects are crucial for who gets which of the different vaccines, according to vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström.
Things that come into play can include practical issues, for example the first available vaccines must be stored very cold.
Far out in sparsely populated areas or in small towns it can be a problem.
Deliveries of the vaccine will be ongoing, so which vaccine (s) are available at different times is also crucial.
Which vaccine you get may also depend on new information that is added, which we do not know today.
Today, for example, there are no data on children and young people or on pregnant women, but over time it may be the case that some of the vaccines are approved for young people or pregnant women, for example.
Then it can be a guide in how to choose who gets which vaccine.
Who should get first?
People over the age of 70 are prioritized, as well as staff in health and care.
The Swedish Public Health Agency has also made a priority within that group and pointed out that those who have home care or live in special housing should be given priority, as well as those who work in health and care in home care and special housing.
Adults who live with someone who has home care are also given priority.
The Swedish Public Health Agency estimates that this group amounts to a total of 600,000 people.
What promises are there about compensation for side effects?
Most of the manufacturers (Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and Moderna) with which Sweden has signed an agreement have taken out insurance with Läkemedelsförsäkringen.
The vaccines against covid-19 are also covered by the insurance, says Robert Ström, CEO of Läkemedelsförsäkringen.
- The pharmaceutical insurance has an ease of proof compared to requesting compensation via court, but we use Swedish tort law for personal injury when it comes to the compensation that can be provided, says Robert Ström.
Two of the vaccine manufacturers, German Curevac and American Moderna, have not had operations in Sweden before and do not have an agreement with Läkemedelsförsäkringen today.
When it comes to the two vaccine manufacturers, they are still looking at how to solve it, says Robert Ström.
- The pharmaceutical insurance can connect a new company to the insurance at very short notice, he says.
Will Norway's vaccine doses be taken from Sweden?
No.
The EU signs agreements with the pharmaceutical companies and then distributes them according to population within the Union.
On the other hand, all EU countries have decided to give up 3.3 per cent of their allocated share in order to sell these on to the countries within the EEA / CH and Switzerland.
That is, European countries that are not members of the EU but have close cooperation with the Union.
Sweden will be the EU country that will pass vaccines on to Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
Why does it take longer for the EU than for the UK to approve Pfizer's vaccine?
The EU's review of the vaccine is not entirely clear and the Union does not have the opportunity to approve a vaccine as the national laws of the Member States differ.
The United Kingdom, which leaves the EU at New Year's, has chosen to give the vaccine an emergency approval.
In addition, it is unclear whether Sweden could have access to vaccines in advance, as many purchase agreements have been signed at EU level.
Should I get vaccinated if I have antibodies?
As the state of knowledge now looks, vaccination applies even if someone has previously been ill with covid-19.
Knowledge of the antibodies is not sufficient at the moment.
- Our assessment is not to take into account previous infection when it comes to vaccination, says Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department at the Swedish Public Health Agency, at a press conference on 8 December.
Will the vaccine provide longer protection than antibodies?
The Swedish Public Health Agency cannot give a clear answer to the question and does not want to draw any conclusions other than the test results that have come from the pharmaceutical companies that produce the vaccine, even if they show "good effects".
- The vaccine creates a different form of trigger of the immune system than an infection.
We must look at how powerful the immune system is activated and for how long, says Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department at the Swedish Public Health Agency, at a press conference on 8 December.
Will the restrictions disappear when we start vaccinating ourselves?
No, not immediately but it will be some time before the restrictions ease.
- It is not the case that as soon as the vaccinations are started by the most vulnerable that we can deviate from protecting the entire population.
We have to wait and see when we can have an effect on the population level, says Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department at the Swedish Public Health Agency, at a press conference on 8 December.
Will you need to take several doses?
The vaccine from Moderna, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and CureVac is a vaccine that will be given in two doses per person.
The vaccine from Janssen-Cilag may only need one dose, but studies are being carried out where the test subjects are allowed to take one dose, and studies where the test subjects are given two doses.
This article was last updated on December 9, 2020. The editors update it when new information emerges, but individual information may have changed as a result of new findings or decisions since that date.