Sweden recommends 5th COVID vaccine shot for those who are pregnant, over 65 or immunocompromised

Sweden is bracing itself for a fall-winter coronavirus surge by recommending anyone who is pregnant or over age 65 get a fifth COVID vaccine shot.

“The vaccine is our strongest tool for preventing serious illness and death,” Swedish Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said.

She, like many other experts including the head of the World Health Organization earlier this week, emphasized that the pandemic is still in full swing.

In addition to those over 65 or pregnant, the Swedish Public Health Agency also recommended fifth shots for anyone over 18 in certain risk groups, including people with weakened immune systems, and those with heart and lung disease.

A staff member collects the last Covid-19 PCR tests at the Covid testing site of Svagertorp in Malmo, Sweden, on Feb. 8, 2022. (JOHAN NILSSON/)

Sweden drew global skepticism early on in the pandemic for refusing to go into full lockdown, restricting vulnerable populations rather than sending everybody home. The nation’s health authorities also eschewed mask mandates and other protocols.

Since then the country has seen about 2.5 million cases, with nearly 19,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Now, the Scandinavian nation is apparently the first country in the world to bring out a fifth jab, according to Axios.

Three shots of vaccines made by Pfizer or Moderna are now considered to be a baseline for being classified as fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Those age 12 and up who are immunocompromised, and people over age 50, should receive a fourth shot, the CDC says on its website, bringing the total up to four. The U.S. has not mentioned a fifth shot.

COVID cases are on the rise again in the U.S., fueled by ever-more-transmissible variants. New York City has raised its alert level to high. This is the case even in the face of plummeting testing rates, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday, warning that “we lower our guard at our peril.”

With News Wire Services