Update on the Corona Pandemic in the Kingdom of Sweden June 14, 2021
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Update on the Corona Pandemic in the Kingdom of Sweden June 14, 2021 As of today, the Swedish Public Health Authorities announced that 9 new deaths have been confirmed since statistics from Friday June 11, 2021, due to the Coronavirus. Since Covid-19 reached Sweden the total mortality rate is now 14,574 people. 1,083,456 people have been confirmed infected and 7,544 people have been cared for or are being cared for in the intensive care unit. Right now, people 171 are in the intensive care unit, according to the Swedish intensive care register. 6,151,465 vaccinations have been carried out. 4,084,788 people have received at least one dose and 2,066,677 have received two doses. At 10.15 on Friday June 11, 2021, Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren held a press conference on the topic of vaccines. Also participating where Johan Carlson, Director General of the Swedish Public Health Agency and Marie Morell, chair of Sweden's municipalities and the Regions' healthcare delegation. Hallengren begins the press conference with an updated overview of the vaccination work in Sweden. The Public Health Agency's forecast of when all Swedes should have been offered at least one dose of vaccine remains unchanged, she states. Within a few days, half of all adults will receive at least one dose. There are still large differences in the proportion vaccinated among foreign-born and among those born in Sweden. However, the differences have diminished. The government has decided to lend 31,200 Janssen doses to Cyprus and 24,000 doses to Iceland. “The Swedish Public Health Agency assesses that the vaccine does not fulfill any function in Sweden”. The vaccination rate remains high, says Marie Morell. “Based on the forecasts, it looks like we can keep pace during the summer”. In July, more vaccines will go to give people their second dose. All regions succeed with the vaccination, says Morell. For the vaccination to flow, it is important to take both doses in the same region, she emphasizes. “Try to adjust and take your doses at home”. The spread of infection continues to decrease and follows FHM's most positive scenario, according to Johan Carlson. However, you can see clouds of unrest over the delta variant. “Considering the variants that are circulating, it is important that you also take a second dose”, says Johan Carlson. 91 percent of people in Sweden over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine. 1 From Thursday last week June 11, 2021, at 3 pm and onwards, the Stockholm Region will leave the emergency staff position and go down to regular management of the business. The staff situation is one of several emergency situations that are introduced in crises, and where a special management comes into force. Leaving the staff situation is due to the fact that the number of infections has fallen sharply in recent weeks. That is less than 1,500 cases per week after being up to almost 10,000. The vaccination is going very well according to Maria Rotzén Östlund, the infection control doctor. In the near future, 35-39-year-olds will be offered vaccination. The exact time is not clear. Nor will the regional recommendations that go out on Sunday be extended. This does not mean that everything returns to normal, but mouth protection is then no longer recommended around the clock in public transport, but only during rush hour. Soon, one million inhabitants will have received their first covid-19 vaccine. “Everything suggests that covid-19 is a seasonal infection. What we can do is accept the vaccination offer so that as many as possible have full protection when autumn comes”, says Maria Rotzén Östlund. She emphasizes that it is important to get both vaccine doses in order for it to have a good effect, and that it is a priority to get the vaccin this summer. 27 patients still need intensive care in the Stockholm Region.“It is a tough treatment. We want them to recover as soon as possible, not least for the sake of care”, says Johan Bratt, acting director of health and medical care. Three challenges remain ahead of the summer: some of those waiting for care must catch up before the summer. Healthcare employees also need holidays. “We want to do everything to ensure that they have a good, cohesive holiday”. The third challenge is to continue getting vaccines during the summer. “Almost 50 percent of our adult population who have started their vaccination”. It requires a lot of medical staff. The call to the residents is to seek care through the family doctor at the health center. “We want to ask for is that you are extra careful this summer. This applies to the spread of infection and other activities. Every injury that does not occur is a relief for the care”, says Johan Bratt. A study of people born in 1944, conducted in March before the people had begun to receive vaccines, shows that only 6.9 percent carried antibodies to the coronavirus. The results of the study can be compared with testing of blood donors aged 20-64 in early March, where about 22 percent had antibodies. "A central part of the Swedish strategy has been to protect older people and the results from the sampling indicate that the infection control measures have had an impact. Now this age group should in principle be fully vaccinated and thus have good protection," says Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department and assistant state epidemiologist, in a press release from the Public Health Agency. 735 people from the Gothenburg area were sampled in the study conducted by the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the Västra Götaland region and the Public Health Agency with support from the Armed Forces. 2 The head of the European Medicines Agency's working group for covid-19 said on Sunday that Astra Zeneca's vaccine has a favorable profile for all age groups in terms of risk / benefit. But especially for those who are over 60 years old. This is what Marco Cavaleri tells the news agency Reuters. The first dose of the vaccine provides only low protection against the delta variant and therefore the interval between the first and second vaccine doses should be shortened to avoid spread. This is what virologist Lennart Svensson, who is also part of the government's scientific reference group, tells Expressen. “I think one should take into account the risk that a dose may not be enough against this rapid spread of the delta variant”. According to Expressen, a yet unpublished study shows that the vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech provides protection of 30–40 percent against the delta variant, which was previously called the Indian virus variant, after the first dose. In Sweden, an interval of seven weeks between doses is now recommended According to Lennart Svensson, it is a prerequisite that there are enough doses for the interval to be shortened. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said earlier this week that delta is the variant that is most worrying in both Sweden and Europe. In the UK, the British variant has completely taken over and accounts for more than 90 percent of the new cases. Created by: Crisis Committee Monitoring and Taking the Required Procedures Regarding Coronavirus in Accredited Countries by the Embassy of Libya - Sweden Stockholm: June 14, 2021 3 .