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“The fact that Sweden has managed to reduce the level of infections to such an extent is very encouraging,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told reporters in Stockholm on Tuesday.
According to the Swedish Health Agency, the number of infections has decreased considerably since the end of June, when the peak was reached. At the same time, the number of tests performed increased during this period.
“The infection curves are falling, and the curves for the seriously ill are already approaching zero,” Tegnell said.
Such an image emerges after months of controversy over whether Sweden’s decision not to impose a strict quarantine was correct.
The unusual strategy coincided with a much higher COVID-19 death rate than in other countries in the Northern Europe region. In Sweden, the death toll per 100,000 population was even higher than in the United States and Brazil.
Sweden reported two new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country to 5,702.
More expensive
Tegnell also raised the issue of facial masks. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that people wear masks when it is impossible to maintain a physical distance.
“With the number of infections in Sweden declining very rapidly, we don’t see the point of wearing a face mask in the country, even on public transportation,” he said.
Mr. Tegnell has consistently argued that the Swedish approach is more sustainable than the abrupt introduction of quarantine in other countries. Given the risk of COVID-19 circulating in the environment year after year, he argues that completely “shutting down” public life is not a viable long-term option.
Several countries that thought they had already controlled the virus are preparing for a second wave of coronaviruses. Tegnell called the changes “troubling.”
“The positive trend is reversing, with more infections in Spain, Romania and Belgium, as well as in other countries,” he said.
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