Sweden and Iceland can borrow a total of 216,000 AstraZeneca doses from Norway. These are all the doses Norway has in stock.
“I am glad that the vaccines we have in stock will be useful even if the AstraZeneca vaccine is put on pause in Norway.
“If the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine is resumed, we will get back the doses we lend as soon as we request it.
“Sweden and Iceland will then send back the doses from their first deliveries from AstraZeneca,” Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie (H) said in a press release.
Sweden will borrow 200,000 doses and Iceland 16,000 doses.
“Demanding infection situation”
Norway has put the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on hold after links to a rare blood clot and low platelet count was discovered. Iceland uses the vaccine on people over 60 years of age.
The Icelandic Ministry of Health wrote on its website on Wednesday afternoon that they expect 16,000 doses from Norway to arrive in the country this weekend and be distributed next week.
State Secretary Saliba Andreas Korkunc (H) in the Norwegian Ministry of Health told NTB on Wednesday night that the situation had not been clarified.
“Sweden has a demanding infection situation and has provided extensive support to Norway when it comes to vaccine access,” Høie said on Thursday.
If the AstraZeneca vaccine is taken out of the corona vaccination program in Norway, the doses Norway has been given can be donated to other countries in collaboration with the EU.
Considering the use of AstraZeneca
The government has set up an expert committee to look at the consequences of using or not using the COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Janssen in Norway’s vaccination program.
The committee is supposed to give the government a recommendation on how EMA-approved virus vector vaccines that are recommended for use in other European countries should be used in Norway.
The deadline for the recommendation is May 10.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Be the first to comment on "Norway to lend 216,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Sweden and Iceland"