New Report: Nordic countries chose different strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic

A new report prepared collectively by the Nordic countries with the Statens Serum Institut as the lead institution shows how the countries adopted different strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the common goal of protecting the most vulnerable and reducing severe illnesses and deaths.

Sweden chose a strategy of quick and broad coverage with a single vaccine dose, while countries like Denmark prioritized fully vaccinating selected high-risk groups first. The report highlights that flexibility and the ability to adapt to new virus variants and growing knowledge about the disease were key elements in pandemic management. Therefore, vaccine strategies were adjusted multiple times in response to changes in the pandemic’s progression.

“We can see that countries made different choices along the way, but we all had the same overarching goal. Making different choices during the pandemic subsequently provided a valuable opportunity to learn from each other, showing how important it is to share knowledge across borders,” says Bolette Søborg, chief physician and section leader at the Statens Serum Institut.

The report also emphasizes the close Nordic collaboration during the pandemic, where health authorities held weekly meetings with continuous sharing of data, experiences, and strategies. According to the report, this contributed to faster decision-making processes, increased transparency, and more robust solutions. The Nordic cooperation is now internationally recognized as an example of how smaller countries can stand stronger together in a global health crisis.

Bolette Søborg emphasizes that the report also looks towards the future: “The Nordic collaboration has truly demonstrated its strength during the pandemic. However, this work also shows that we need to get even better at evaluating and adjusting along the way, so that we do not pick up our learnings years after the crisis, but can actively use them along the way.”

The report gathers experiences and insights from the pandemic with the aim of strengthening cooperation and evaluation in the event of future health crises.

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