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The Swedish Public Health Agency recommends a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people who live at SÄBO (Special housing for the elderly), have home care or home health care and to everyone who is 80 years and older. The second booster dose should be given no earlier than four months after the first.

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The spread of COVID-19 is still intense in Sweden. An increasing number of cases have also been reported in recent weeks among people in groups who have an increased risk of serious illness, such as living at SÄBO.

The risk of suffering from a serious illness increases with advanced age. Vaccine protects against disease, serious illness and death in COVID-19, and therefore the Swedish Public Health Agency now recommends that those who are most at risk for serious illness be offered a second booster dose. This means a total of a four doses of vaccine for this group.

The recommendation applies to:

  • People who live at SÄBO
  • People with home care or home health care
  • People who are 80 years and older

The regions can start offering the second booster dose no earlier than four months after the previous booster dose. Vaccination work will start from week 8 in the regions.

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The immune system’s ability to respond to vaccination, and build up long-term protection, decreases with increasing age.

A booster dose strengthens the protection. Therefore, we assess that people who are 80 years and older benefit from a second booster dose, says Anders Tegnell, head of department and state epidemiologist at the Swedish Public Health Agency.

As a supplemental dose, the full dose of the Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech or the half dose of the Spikevax vaccine from Moderna is currently recommended.