The first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech anti-COVID vaccine arrived in Sweden on Saturday. This weekend, Sweden will only receive 9,750 doses, enough to vaccinate 4,900 people, The Local Sweden has learned.
The Scandinavian country has received the first bunch of the anti-virus drug. COVID-19 vaccine doses set to be driven during the day to each of Sweden’s 21 regions ahead of the first vaccinations on Sunday.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden has noted in a statement that the first delivery had gone “according to plan”. This weekend, the vaccine parcel repacked for the regions.
“It feels good that we have now reached this step and that we in Sweden can within a few hours begin offering protection against Covid-19,” Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, said in the statement.
Sweden is ready to start the vaccination
The first doses would be offered to Swedes “who have the greatest need of protection”, for example, those who live in elderly care homes. This weekend, Sweden will only receive 9,750 doses, enough to vaccinate 4,900 people.
The regions are likely to receive a second delivery over the New Year. eventually, Sweden expects to receive 80,000 doses a week.
According to the Public Health Agency, it is working “intensively” with the 21 regions which run Sweden’s health system day-to-day and with the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR).
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Pfizers/Biontech’s vaccine on Monday, opening the way for doses to be sent out to member states.
