[ad_1]
The second wave of coronavirus is also hitting hard in Sweden and the country could soon be forced to seek help from neighboring Finland and Norway, where the number of cases is vastly lower, to house some seriously ill patients in their hospitals, given that those in intensive care are about to end.
Death record
As reported by the Swedish newspaper The Local, the country recorded more deaths last month than in any other month of November in more than 100 years, according to reports from the Swedish national statistics agency. The number of seriously ill patients is on the rise, and the nation’s 21 regions are increasing the number of available ICU places after available capacity fell below 17% last week, with the minimum target of increasing being set. in 20%. But that may not be enough and you may need to enlist the help of neighbors with an agreement in place, called the Nordic Agreement on Public Health Preparedness, which commits nations to mutual support.
The call for help
“A couple of days ago, the first contacts with the rest of the Nordic countries began so that they are aware that this is still a valid agreement in case of need,” explains Dr. Göran Karlström, responsible for coordinating intensive care capacity between regions of Sweden, explaining that reception capacities have never been lower than in any other phase of the pandemic. The number of hospitalizations “is not going in a positive direction – in fact it is intensifying – and if we get to a situation where we cannot do it alone, we will certainly turn to our brother and sister countries for help,” he told The Telegraph. Sten Rubertsson, a doctor who works for the Swedish Health and Welfare Council, added that last week “we hit a record low when 13 regions had less than 25% capacity at the same time.”
Serious situation
Above all, the Stockholm region turned to national agencies for help on Wednesday, warning that 99% of its ICU places had been filled by Tuesday. An outbreak at the clinic where coronavirus patients are sent in Malmö has caused more than a third of its nurses and doctors to test positive for the virus. Currently the country has 673 intensive care places, of which 82% are occupied, a percentage that rises to more than 90% in the four most affected regions. Obviously there are not only patients with Covid-19, but also others since the time of year carries higher risks of other cold-related illnesses. “We are in an extremely serious situation at the moment and we need help,” said the Stockholm health director. Björn Eriksson at a press conference. Despite the increase in cases, the country does not foresee any more squeezes for the Christmas period.
Loosely
Precisely today the new guidelines set by the Swedish Public Health Agency come into force, in which citizens are asked (but not obliged) to limit social relations within a ‘bubble’ of no more than eight people, to meet as much as possible outdoors and avoid public transportation. At the beginning of the month, distance education for students aged 16 and over was also decided, a threshold that is lowered to 13 for the Stockholm region. In bars and restaurants there is now also a legal limit of eight diners, the sale of alcohol is prohibited after 10 at night.
Large number of cases
Since the beginning of the pandemic in the country of about 10 million inhabitants, according to data updated last Friday, 7,514 deaths have occurred, 320,098 have tested positive for coronavirus and 3,537 patients have been admitted. Currently there are proportionally 738.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In all, 453 died in Finland and 393 in Norway.
