If you live in Ukraine, it is reasonable to look at your options if you happen to catch the virus. Ukrainenu asked the embassies of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
The prospects of being treated in Ukraine against COVID19 are not looking too good at the moment. Many hospitals are overcrowded, but if you are a Scandinavian registered as living abroad, you do not have many other options than to look for insurance in Ukraine.
In Denmark, there is no access to treatment or vaccination. The same thing goes for Norway, but as the embassies of both countries stress, it is impossible to travel back with a positive COVID 19 test unless you have insurance coverage for medical evacuation.
Norway:
Are you able to travel home and get a vaccine in Norway?
“If you are registered as living in Norway, you will be summoned for vaccination in your home municipality,” Folkehelseinstituttet writes on their website: ‘You will be contacted by the doctor or the municipality for vaccination when it is your turn. You can follow your municipality’s website for details.”
The distribution of the vaccine is prioritized as follows:
- People living in nursing homes.
- People 85 years or older
- People between 75-84 years old
- People between 67-74 years old
AND: People between 18 and 64 with illnesses with a high risk of severe symptoms of COVID19 - People between 55-64 years with underlying conditions and illnesses.
- People between 45-54 years with underlying conditions and illnesses.
- People between 18-44 years with underlying conditions and illnesses.
- People between 55-64 years
- People between 45-54 years
There is no current plan for vaccination of the population between 18-44 who are healthy.
Can you travel home if you are sick with COVID19 and get treatment in Norway?
“If you are sick with COVID19 abroad, you will not be allowed to fly or to cross the border in most cases. The airport Kyiv Boryspil refuses passengers to check-in without a negative COVID 19 test. Norwegian authorities recommend people avoid travel that is not strictly necessary.”
“When arriving in Norway, there is a demand for quarantine for ten days, and you have to show a negative COVID19 test on arrival. More information can be found on Folkehelseinstituttet. Separate travel insurances and employers can have coverage for evacuation if you are sick with COVID19, and the individual should contact their insurance company or employer.”
“As far as the embassy knows, it is only Norwegians registered in folkeregistret as living in Norway that will be summoned for vaccination in their respective municipalities.”
Denmark
Are you able to travel home and get a vaccine in Denmark?
“In regards to vaccination for Danes registered as udenlandsdanskere, (Danes living and paying taxes abroad, ed.) the rules of the health authorities apply. Udenlandsdanskere living outside an EU- or EØS country, Switzerland, or Great Britain will not have access to vaccines in Denmark. You can read more here.”
Can you travel home if you are sick with COVID19 and get treatment in Denmark?
“As a rule of thumb, when you live in a country outside EU- or EØS-countries, Switzerland, or Great Britain, you do not have access to treatment in Denmark with certain exceptions. You can read more here.”
“If you have a positive COVID 19 test, you will not be able to board a commercial flight, and you would be dependent on your insurance and the possible coverage of medical evacuation.”
Sweden
Andreas Edevald, an Administration Manager at the Swedish Embassy, refers to the Swedish authorities named Folkhalsomyndigheten for information about Covid-rules related to Swedish citizens living abroad. According, to Folkhalsomyndigheten, whether you will have to pay for your treatment in Sweden depends on whether you have the blue EU-health care card. If not, you might have to pay a fee to be receiving treatment in Sweden.
“Swedes abroad from countries outside Europe have the right to receive emergency care in Sweden for a Swedish patient fee,” the webpage says. At the same time, it is unclear whether Swedish citizens in Ukraine will be offered a vaccine in Sweden.
Andreas Edevald also informs that any emergency transport to Sweden due to Covid-19 is a matter for your own insurance company.
“For questions related to ambulance transport to Sweden, I may refer the question to the respective insurance company that is responsible for this,” Edevald writes.
