The goal of offering all adult Swedes a vaccine against covid-19 before midsummer is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.
In December 2020, the forecast was that Sweden would receive 17.4 million doses of vaccine against covid-19 during the first six months of 2021. Now the forecast looks gloomier and the figure is reduced to 10.9 million doses.
The prognosis has previously been written down to about 12.5 million doses.
The delays mean that SKR is now talking to the government about the need to change the vaccine target.
- The regions had of course wanted and planned to be able to vaccinate more and faster, says Emma Spak who is responsible for healthcare in Sweden's municipalities and regions, SKR.
More deliveries in late spring
According to her, from mid-April, the regions have a capacity to give as many vaccine doses a week as they have given during the three months that the vaccination has been going on so far.
The first forecast stated that a major focus of deliveries would be during the first quarter, but now it instead looks as if the majority of the vaccine will be delivered in the latter part of the spring.
- The need for communication grows when it does not turn out as we have imagined.
This means that the regions must constantly communicate with those who are in line to be vaccinated, says Emma Spak.
The new write-down is due to the fact that some of the vaccine suppliers, including Curevac and Jansen, have adjusted the forecast for how much vaccine they will be able to deliver.