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In their strategy to combat the coronavirus, the Swedish authorities have relied solely on measures whose benefits are scientifically justified. In an interview with rbc.ru, said Mr. Giesecke, Advisor to the Secretary-General of the Swedish Government and of the World Health Organization.
“It just came to our attention then. First, we have to wash our hands, we’ve known that for 150 years. Second, you need to keep a distance, not get too close to other people,” said J. Giesecke.
According to the epidemiologist, the benefits of other strong antivirus measures do not appear to be obvious. Sweden in particular sees no need to tighten border controls, as virus outbreaks occur in all countries, so there is no point in worrying that the infection comes from abroad. “Closing the borders is a pointless action,” said Giesecke.
“School closings probably don’t matter at all. Prohibit people from going outside? This is stupid, there is no scientific explanation for such prohibitions,” says the epidemiologist.
Giesecke also emphasized the strong discipline of Swedes who listened to the authorities’ recommendations on social distance. “Of course, if they did not, the spread of the virus in the country would be notably greater. Therefore, in a certain sense, it can be said that certain quarantine measures are also applied in our country,” explained the scientist.
The epidemiologist added that Swedes follow the rules of their own free will. “We don’t need orders to keep people at home. This is the essence of an important principle of Swedish strategy: people are not stupid. If you explain that certain rules will benefit and help others, they will ask you,” said the epidemiologist. , who said that “such a principle would be effective in any country, not only in Sweden.”
Johan Giesecke
The Swedish health system can cope with the increased workload due to the virus, and in intensive care units about 10 percent. the beds remain unoccupied, Giesecke said. Once such health care capacity is secured, there are no plans to introduce additional restrictions in the country. “On the contrary,” said the epidemiologist in response to RBK’s question about the government’s intentions to tighten quarantine rules.
Mr. Giesecke also explained why the death rate from coronavirus in Sweden is higher than in neighboring countries. The number of deaths from coronavirus per million population in Sweden is currently 274, higher than in neighboring Finland (43), Denmark (85) or Norway (39), but less than in Italy (481), France (386) or the United Kingdom. (423)
“The problem with Denmark, Norway and Finland is that the restrictions in these countries will have to be lifted one day. It is not possible to live in quarantine forever. And when that happens, the number of infections will increase,” says J. Giesecke.
“The strict quarantine is a postponement of the solution to the problem. However, that problem will continue to be relevant in a couple of months,” the researcher has no doubts.
According to J. Giesecke, according to Swedish experts, around 500 thousand people have been infected with coronavirus. The total population of the Stockholm region of almost 2.5 million. The country’s capital could obtain collective immunity in just a few weeks. “Collective immunity will take a little longer to develop across the country. Probably a few months. Immunity to the disease will not last a lifetime, only about a year, but that (to combat the epidemic) will be enough,” said the scientific.
According to official statistics, less than 25,000 cases were registered in Sweden. Diseases According to Giesecke, the actual number of people infected is much higher, since most people with coronavirus are people who do not have severe symptoms.
“About 98.5 percent of them are. They don’t seek medical attention, they experience mild symptoms: fever, sore throat, headache, possibly diarrhea. Of course, there are those who experience severe symptoms or those who can be fatal, but that’s 0.1 percent population, “said the epidemiologist.
In Sweden, the number of cases of new coronavirus infection per day increased from 22,721 to 23,213 (232 infected per 100,000 population). This was announced Tuesday by representatives of the country’s medical services.
The number of patients dying from coronavirus disease increased from 85 per day to 2,604.
In Sweden, 1,604 people receive treatment in intensive care units, including 1,202 men. The highest number of infections (8,686) and deaths (1,524) was recorded in the capital region.
“The need for places in intensive care units is decreasing, which is a good thing,” Anders Wallensten, deputy chief epidemiologist for Sweden, said at a press conference. “We are seeing an increase in infections in a country like the Skåne region, but this is mainly due to more extensive testing by staff.”
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Swedish government closed its borders to foreigners who do not live in EU countries, urging citizens not to organize events for more than 50 people. Distance learning is recommended for students and seniors. Kindergartens and primary schools are still open. Quarantine has not been announced in the country or in individual regions, and shops and restaurants have been opened.
The outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year has spread to most of the world. March 11 It was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. According to the latest data, the number of people infected with the coronavirus in the world exceeded 3.5 million and more than 245 thousand people died.
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