Published 18 April 2024 at 17.41
Domestic. The spring vaccination campaign against covid-19 is now underway. So far, approximately 30 percent of people aged 80 and older have received the care dose. According to the Public Health Agency, municipalities and regions must get more people vaccinated during April.
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Everyone who is 80 years of age and older, as well as people 65 years of age and older who have daily care efforts, a top-up dose of vaccine against covid-19 is recommended in the spring of 2024.
According to the FHM, for the time being, these groups need to be vaccinated twice a year “to maintain their protection against serious illness and death”.
– Covid-19 continues to cause serious illness, and in the worst case can lead to death. Therefore, people who belong to the risk group are recommended to get vaccinated. Some risk groups need vaccination twice a year to have strong protection all year round. For them, it is important to vaccinate in the spring, so that the protection remains high and even until it is time for the autumn dose, says director general Karin Tegmark Wisell in a statement.
Since the vaccination effort started in the spring, coverage has increased relatively quickly in some regions. Halfway into the effort, on a national level, around 30 percent of people aged 80 and over have been vaccinated.
Vaccination coverage varies greatly in the country, however. In some regions, close to 50 percent have been vaccinated, in others it is less than 10 percent. Personal invitations, high availability and offering a booking procedure that is not only digital, are factors that, according to FHM, seem to contribute to more people in the target group getting vaccinated.
– We really want to emphasize the benefit of taking the vaccine dose against covid -19 which is now offered this spring. Those who took last year's care dose were found to have a markedly lower risk of ending up in hospital during the late summer and autumn. Through vaccination, we can not only reduce human suffering, but also relieve the burden on healthcare and care, says state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén.