Nearly 200,000 people under the age of 65 had received the first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine when vaccination was paused for younger people a month ago.

Now the time is approaching for their second dose and many want to know how it will be.

Is it possible to switch to another vaccine if the stop persists or do you have to start over with another variety?

The Swedish Public Health Agency promises to respond soon.

- We will give a message at the beginning of the week, probably on Tuesday, says Sara Byfors, unit manager at the Swedish Public Health Agency.

The risk of suffering from the severe coagulation disorder is extremely small, one in ten thousand or one in a hundred thousand, according to the EMA, the European Medicines Agency. 

The EMA believes that the benefits of Astra Zeneca's vaccine outweigh the risks.

However, the public health authority chose to pause the vaccinations of those under 65 years of age because it is mainly the group that has suffered from blood clots in combination with low platelet counts and bleeding.

Could it be that Sweden does as Denmark does and completely stops using Astra's vaccine?

- Yes, it can be.

It may also be the case that we continue as we have thought now or that the risk benefit balance means that we think that even younger people can get Astra Zeneca's vaccine.

Another brand for the second dose in Germany

In Germany, people under the age of 60 who have received a dose are advised to switch to another vaccine for dose two.

In Sweden, the Swedish Public Health Agency has advised against mixing different varieties.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has said that it may be relevant to start again with another vaccine and thus take three doses if you are younger than 65 years. 

Are there any health risks with mixing the vaccine and taking three doses?

- There are not so many studies that have looked at mixing vaccines, that is not what you do before an approval.

But we look at what exists and will of course assess that risk, says Sara Byfors at the Public Health Agency.

This weekend, several regions have testified about anxious 65-plus people who turn in the door at the vaccination centers when they hear that it is Astra's vaccine they should receive.

Jan Albert, who is a professor of infection control at Karolinska Institutet, thinks that the 65-plus people who give up Astra's vaccine make an incorrect risk assessment.

He believes that the risk of suffering from the unusual side effect is so much less than the risk of getting covid.

“Like driving without a seatbelt”

- It's a bit grand as driving a car without a seatbelt because you think you should be strangled by the seatbelt.

It may happen sometime in the millions, but every other time it is much better to wear a seatbelt if you were to collide, says Jan Albert.

Hear a longer interview with Sara Byfors and Jan Albert in the clip above.