In Sweden, where a nationwide lockdown has never been imposed, with a total of 7,700 coronavirus deaths, calls for contact lockdowns and stricter measures are on the rise among health officials.
The country’s seven-day death average has been rising sharply since the end of October, before sinking in recent days since the beginning of December, according to figures compiled by WorldMeter.
“We are well ahead of 100 per cent of intensive care capacity. We are approaching double the number of available spaces,” Stockholm Region Health and Medical Care Director Bjorn Eriks warned.
Erickson noted in a press briefing last week: “Enough. The hustle and bustle of post-work drinks and Christmas present shopping … the results are terrible.”
According to a recent estimate by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), by January 2, the country’s death toll is projected to exceed 10,000, even with a “rapid vaccine rollout”. And Washington Washington University.
The country’s daily death toll is expected to reach 117 on December 25 and around 163 on January. If “vaccine distribution is extended to 90 days” and “governments increase the number of cases and governments do not re-order, these figures will be reached.” “According to IHME.
Both estimates are much higher than the latest average daily death count of 17 reported on December 15, according to WorldMeter.
Carin Hildebrand, a cardiologist in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Soders Jukhuset Hospital in Stockholm, also warned: “I’m afraid it will get worse. We’re all scared next week. We don’t have enough staff to deal with this.” The New York Times Reported Tuesday.
Sweden’s ICUs are forecasting to reach almost full capacity by January 13, according to a recent estimate by the IHME, while the need for ICU beds will be around an estimated 690, according to a recent estimate by the IHME.
Said Tow Fall, a professor of nuclear epidemiology at Uppsala University near Stovehome. Time: “We need a few weeks of lockdowns for the numbers to come down,” he noted, adding that “other countries are much more cautious at lower transmission levels.”
“I hoped this serious situation would change things, but yesterday they opened a ski lift in Sweden,” said Frederick Elge, a professor of clinical virology at Umeિયા University and a commentator on the country’s COVID-19 strategy. Time.
“Considering such action, I don’t think the government is taking the strict action it expected.
“We are the only democracy in the world that does not recommend the use of face masks. More than 170 countries in the world recommend the use of masks. But here they say there is not enough science behind it. That is nonsense,” Elge added.
Under current Swedish law, the government cannot impose a stay-at-home order or impose fines on violators of the safety guidelines’ recommended guidelines. But the government was informed to create an emergency law that could allow lockdowns and closed businesses when the virus spreads. Time.
A recent warning from the country’s Coronavirus Commission report highlights some of the “shortcomings” of Sweden’s combat strategy, including its “failed” approach to caring for the elderly and personal protective devices (PPEs) in care homes. .
“We have seen that the care of the elderly at the time of the outbreak was unprepared and ill-equipped and was established in the structural defects known long before the outbreak of the virus. The ultimate responsibility for these defects lies with the government in power – and with previous governments who have There is information.
Newsweek Sweden’s public health agency, the Swedish government and the National Health and Welfare Board have been contacted for comment.
In late October, new restrictions were introduced in Sweden as the weekly new infections continued to rise.
Speaking with Newsweek At the time, Sweden’s public health agency, which is behind the country’s anti-logistics strategy, was headed by chief state epidemiologist Dr. Anders Tagnell said: “That [the latest measures in October] There is no lockdown but some additional recommendations are approached locally when there is a need for something to be said by the regional authorities. “
When asked what are the main reasons for this shift in the country’s COVID-19 strategy, Tagnell said Newsweek At the time: “Development at the national level is fairly stable but local development can take place and local solutions will be needed,” he added, adding that the new sanctions would be “determined according to local epidemics and needs.”
In late April, Tagnell claimed the decision not to give the BBC a downturn, “worked at some stage because our health system is capable of coping,” in an interview with the BBC’s Radio Four. Today Program.
“At least 50 per cent of our deaths are in older homes and we are having a hard time understanding how lockdown will stop the spread of the disease.
“We already had a law that made it illegal for visitors to come to older homes. They need constant care, they need a lot of people to come and take care of them.
“So it’s a little unclear to us if a lockdown really stops this from happening,” Tag added.
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Wide picture
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 73.6 million people, including 16.7 million people in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.
As of Wednesday, 1.6 million people worldwide had died and more than 71.7 million had recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The following graphic, provided by Statista, shows the countries with the highest COVID-19 death toll.
The following graphic, provided by Statista, shows the countries with the highest COVID-19 cases.
