Sweden reported more than 30,000 cases of side effects from covid-19 vaccines
Nickie Louise
Posted On May 18, 2021
While the rollout of the covid-19 vaccines in the United States turns out to be a huge success with a few reported side effects, the tiny Scandinavian country of Sweden is seeing a surge in adverse side effects from the vaccines.
The official count of what the country describes as “suspected side effects” resulting from Covid vaccination has surpassed 30,000, with AstraZeneca’s shot linked to more than half of all reports even though it only accounts for about 26% of the roughly 2.7 million vaccines administered.
According to last week’s report from Sweden’s Medical Products Agency, the Scandinavian nation had tallied 31,844 reports of adverse reactions linked to its vaccine rollout. One Swedish news outlet reported that the agency has received more reports of suspected side effects over the past several months than it typically does over four years.
While other European states like Germany have sought to offer substitutes to younger patients, Sweden currently offers 3 different COVID-19 vaccines: Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, with the latter being the most widely available.
According to the report (see the table below), there are currently 2,103 reports of side effects from the Moderna shot, while the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been associated with 9,117 health issues. But the number of suspected adverse reactions from the two shots seems relatively small when compared to the 19,961 reports linked to AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria.
The most common side effects of all three drugs were fever and headache. Other reported adverse reactions included nausea, joint pain, and dizziness. Notably, the AstraZeneca shot only accounts for about 26% of the roughly 2.7 million vaccines that have been administered so far in Sweden but makes up around 63% of the side effects reports.
Below are the excerpts from Sweden’s Medical Products Agency website (English translation).
Reported suspected side effects – corona vaccines
- Published: January 11, 2021
- Last updated: May 12, 2021
Compilation of processed reports on suspected side effects for the vaccines against covid-19 that are approved and used in Sweden.
Data are updated weekly, on Thursdays.
Individual reports can usually not answer whether there is a possible connection between the drug and the reported suspected side effect. The overall science is needed to determine whether there is an increase in risk for a certain side effect or not. Thus, reported suspected side effects do not have to be caused by the drug, but may be due to other factors.
Registered reports
Up to and including 2021-05-11, a total of 34,145 reports of suspected side effects have been received and registered for the vaccines used against covid-19 in Sweden. The table shows the number of vaccinated individuals and the number of registered reports of suspected side effects.
In addition to the reports in the table, 664 reports have also been received where it is not clear which vaccine is meant.
| Vaccine | Number of vaccinated individuals | Number of reports received |
| Comirnaty (Pfizer / BioNtech) |
2 117 000 | 10 460 |
| Covid-19 Modern Vaccine | 245 000 | 2 458 |
| Vaxzevria (Astra Zeneca) | 698 000 | 20 563 |
Most reported suspected side effects
The table shows the suspected side effects that have been reported to the greatest extent, as well as the number of reports. It is not possible to draw any conclusions about how common or unusual a side effect is, ie what proportion of the vaccinated are affected, based on the reported suspected side effects. In the clinical trials on which the approval is based, the frequency has been calculated.
| Comirnaty | Covid-19 Modern Vaccine | Vaxzevria (Astra Zeneca) |
| Fever (3,098) | Fever (861) | Fever (13,103) |
| Headache (3,084) | Headache (651) | Headache (10,246) |
| Fatigue (2,105) | Redness (592) | Frossa (7,927) |
| Frossa (1,581) | Swelling (538) | Muscle aches (3,739) |
| Nausea (1,162) | Frossa (504) | Fatigue (3,659) |
| Muscle aches (1,123) | Itching (476) | Nausea (3,128) |
| Ont i arm (1,070) | Fatigue (443) | Pain in the body (2,725) |
| Feeling sick (958) | Pain in the arm (342) | Joint pain (2,317) |
| Swelling (919) | Muscle aches (310) | Ont i arm (1 856) |
| Dizziness (858) | Nausea (285) | Yrsel (1,848) |
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