The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) recently noted that this year's flu season has started unusually early in the EU.
Now the spread of the infection is underway in earnest in Sweden as well.
We can expect a significant increase in the spread of infection, says Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed (KD) at a press conference.
“Big dark figure”
Last week, 187 cases of seasonal flu were reported, about twice as many as the week before. This is a sign that the season is underway, according to Erik Sturegård.
The cases being tested are those seeking medical care, so we know there is a large hidden number, he says.
So when the curve starts to flatten and we reach a certain threshold, the spread of the infection is underway. But we still have some time to prepare.
The analyses show that in many cases it is a newly discovered virus variant of the influenza A virus H3N2, the so-called K variant, which is believed to mean increased spread of infection and poorer vaccine protection.
The impact on healthcare is still limited. But we have received signals from other countries that we have a variant, the K variant, which has certain changes that we know from previous years can have some impact on immunity, says Erik Sturegård.
New variant
This means that there is a risk of a larger number of cases and that the vaccine will not be as effective this year. However, the vaccine still provides protection against more serious disease, Erik Sturegård points out.
But there is possibly a risk of more cases, which could put an increased burden on healthcare and elderly care, he says.
At this time last year, approximately 55 percent of those over 65 had had time to get vaccinated against the flu. This year, the vaccination rate is slightly lower.
At the same time, the spread of COVID-19 continues.
"There is an opportunity now. There is still time for vaccinations and to increase the coverage rate," says Jacob Forssmed.
