Sweden to wait before resuming AstraZeneca vaccine after EMA concludes ‘safe and effective’

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine was a “safe and effective” tool in the battle against Covid-19.

“”This is a safe and effective vaccine whose benefits in protecting people from Covid-19 hugely outweigh the risks,” its Executive Director said but added that further studies would take place to probe possible links between the injection and rare blood clotting cases.

Sweden’s Public Health Agency said it would “take the time that is needed”  to assess the findings, and that it would decide next week whether to resume vaccinations using the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Asked by The Local if the agency was considering any measures to build trust in the vaccine if it is judged safe to use, to counter worries among the public caused by high profile reports of severe brain haemorrhages and other clot-related illnesses among a small number of people who had taken the AstraZeneca vaccine, the agency’s Karin Tegmark-Wisell said this had not been looked into.

You can read more updates from Thursday’s briefing from Swedish authorities here. 

EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) concludes that the benefits of the #COVID19Vaccine AstraZeneca still outweigh its risks despite possible link to rare blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets.
👉Read more: https://t.co/WCdaKqOPxB pic.twitter.com/0NO8kh5a48

— EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) March 18, 2021

Swedish vocabulary: safe – säker

Swedish PM: ‘More people are getting lazy’ in following Covid measures

At a government press conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said: “We are seeing that more people are starting to get lazy in following the rules and recommendations, and that is having a direct negative effect on the level of infection.”

Over the last 14 days, Sweden reported 566 new cases per 100,000 residents nationwide, one of the highest incidence rates in the EU.

Löfven said existing measures, such as restaurant closures at 8.30pm, and limits on customer numbers in shops, would remain in place, but no new measures would be introduced yet, instead stressing that businesses and individuals needed to follow the guidelines and laws in place.

Swedish vocabulary: existing – befintlig

New Migration Court ruling for international students affected by Covid-19

A new ruling from Malmö’s Migration Court means that an international Masters student in Sweden will have their rejected study permit extension reconsidered, which could set a precedent for students whose studies have been affected by Covid-19, Sveriges Radio reports.

The case relates to a student who was unable to continue his research due to the impact of Covid-19, but his application to extend his permit was rejected on the basis he had not been studying full-time. He has now won his appeal against the decision, with the Malmö court saying this was only a minor deviation from the permit requirements.

The Migration Agency told the radio that it follows the laws in place, and would require a judgment from the Migration Court of Appeal in order to change its practice. If you are an international student in Sweden who has been affected by the pandemic, you can contact The Local at [email protected].

Swedish vocabulary: to appeal – överklaga

Covid-19 Sweden’s third most common cause of death in second half of 2020

During the second half of 2020, Covid-19 was the third most common cause of death in Sweden.

In total 3,503 people died of the disease, including four children. Sweden’s total deaths in June to December rose by five percent compared to the previous year, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare’s preliminary statistics, published on Thursday.

The two most common causes of death were heart disease (12,800 deaths) and cancer (11,500). During December, the increased spread of Covid-19 made it the second most common cause of death that month.

Swedish vocabulary: cause of death – dödsorsak