När den breda massan skulle vaccineras sommaren 2021 motiverades det bland annat med att det var en solidarisk handling mot de som riskerar att drabbas svårare. Skydda dig själv och andra, var det mantra som upprepades av Folkhälsomyndigheten vid de återkommande pressträffarna.

”Argumentet har fallit något”

Men under vintern har omikronvarianten tagit över smittspridningen vilket har försämrat vaccinets funktion som skyddsbarriär mot smitta.

- The argument to vaccinate oneself to curb the spread of infection has fallen somewhat, but there is a certain initial effect there as well.

But the important thing is the protection against serious illness and death, the Public Health Agency's department head Sara Byfors emphasized when the issue was discussed at the press conference on 20 January.

The Swedish Public Health Agency has declined an interview to explain the shift in communication, but writes in an email that it is still important to get vaccinated: "Partly because you can not be sure who is at risk of becoming seriously ill, partly for protection against any new variants" .

"Must be reconsidered"

This raises the question of how motivated it is for people who neither have underlying diseases nor are at risk due to old age to take a refill dose.

KI-professor Joakim Dillner.

Joakim Dillner, professor of infection epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet, emphasizes that much has changed in a short time.

- All assessments that applied at the time we had to participate and previous variants must be reconsidered, he says.

"Young people should still be vaccinated"

It is difficult to make new assessments based on the omicron variant, but Joakim Dillner believes that it is still justified for young and healthy people to take the vaccine.

It reduces the risk of serious illness, even if that risk is basically low.

In addition, it seems to have an effect on the risk of infection, albeit less than before.

- In any case, the probability is reduced.

Even if the protection is not as good as before, it is not zero.

In combination with the minor side effects, it means that it is still worth getting vaccinated, he says.

Ali Mirazimi, a researcher at KI and an expert in hemorrhagic fever at the Swedish Public Health Agency, also believes that young people should still be vaccinated for the same reason.

- We must also remember that the delta variant is not completely gone, says Mirazimi.