Advertisement

Sweden cuts waiting period for Covid booster to three months

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Sweden cuts waiting period for Covid booster to three months
The waiting period between the second and third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine was previously five months in Sweden. Photo: Stina Stjernkvist/TT

Sweden’s Public Health Agency now recommends shortening the interval between the second and third dose of the Covid vaccine from five to three months.

Advertisement

More than 45 percent of over-18s in Sweden have been given a booster dose, but the agency said it wanted to speed up the process amid a sharp rise in Covid infections.

The new recommendations come three weeks after Sweden reduced the booster waiting time from six to five months, a decision that came later than many other European countries.

Advertisement

Denmark currently offers the third dose four and a half months after the second, Italy four months, Spain five months, and Germany, France and the UK three months.

Sweden recommends using half a dose of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine or a full dose of Pfizer/Biontech’s Comirnaty as the third dose. The latter is recommended for under-31s.

Swedish regions are responsible for their own healthcare so it is ultimately up to them to decide how and when to roll out boosters to more people, although they are generally likely to follow the Public Health Agency’s advice. To book a vaccine in your region, go to the 1177.se healthcare website and click välj region at the top of the page.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also