[ad_1]
Analysts noted the unusually sharp tone of the king’s message, whose power is ceremonial and who typically refrains from commenting on political issues, calling it a rebuke to Swedish strategy by some.
STOCKHOLM – Sweden, which has controversially relied mostly on non-coercive measures, struggled to contain an unexpectedly strong second wave of coronavirus when the country’s monarch on Thursday criticized the nation’s failure to save lives.
“I think we have failed,” King Carlos XVI Gustav of Sweden told SVT broadcaster in a preview of a program summarizing the year published on Thursday.
Analysts noted the unusually sharp tone of the king’s message, whose power is ceremonial and who typically refrains from commenting on political issues, calling it a rebuke to Swedish strategy by some.
But questioned by AFP, the Swedish Royal Court stressed that the comment was “apolitical” and referred to all of Swedish society.
Stockholm, the capital, is once again at the epicenter of the epidemic and Lars Falk, a doctor in an intensive care unit at Stockholm’s Karolinska Hospital, told AFP that the second wave had hit much harder than expected. .
“We received three different scenarios from the Public Health Agency this summer. We prepared for the worst and it turned out twice as bad,” Falk told AFP.
Other regions are also seeing resources shrink.
On Thursday, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare said the number of people receiving hospital care for COVID-19 now exceeds 2,500, surpassing the previous peak in late April.
However, the number of people in intensive care is still only half the level observed in April.
NON-COERCIVE MEASURES
The total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 in the country of about 10.3 million reached 7,802 on Wednesday, with more than 500 people in the last week and more than 1,800 since the beginning of November.
With few enforcement measures and no face mask rule, Sweden has distinguished itself from most countries by relying on citizens’ sense of “responsibility” and issuing mainly recommendations, with no penalties if ignored.
As cases have increased, authorities have urged people to limit social interactions to people in their home or a very small circle of friends.
However, some measures are binding, and a ban on public gatherings of more than eight people went into effect on November 24, reducing the number from 50.
Contrary to media reports, the Scandinavian nation never targeted so-called herd immunity as part of its official strategy.
But health officials argued that the high level of spread in the spring should weaken any second wave.
“I think we will have a relatively low uniform distribution in the fall, with groups in different places,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told TV4 in August.
That seemed to be confirmed for a while, as the second wave hit later and fatalities remained low in October until the numbers began to rise again.
FAILURE TO PROTECT THE ELDERLY
When asked about the king’s comment during a press conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said they only affirmed what the government had already conceded.
“Of course, the fact that so many have died cannot be considered more than a failure,” Lofven told reporters.
But for the strategy as a whole, Lofven said “it’s when we go through the pandemic that real conclusions can be drawn,” adding that they had already recognized the shortcomings in caring for the elderly.
More than 90 percent of coronavirus deaths in Sweden have occurred among people aged 70 and over, and nearly half of all deaths have occurred in nursing homes.
The response has also been limited in part by legislation, including a constitutional guarantee of freedom of movement.
The government is preparing a temporary one-year “pandemic law” that it intends to have in place by March 2021, which will empower ministers to limit the number of people in public places and regulate businesses and services by restricting or even closing opening hours. . down.
Among Swedes, support for the strategy and trust in the authorities has remained generally strong during the pandemic.
But while most still have confidence in the Public Health Agency, a poll published by the Dagens Nyheter newspaper on Thursday showed how the number of people with “high confidence” in the agency dropped to 52% from 68% in October.
Download the EWN app on your iOS or Android device.
[ad_2]
