Covid 19 coronavirus: King Carlos XVI Gustavo of Sweden says his country has failed the elderly

King Charles XVI Gustav of Sweden said on Thursday that he believes his country has failed to protect the elderly in nursing homes from the effects of the pandemic.

“I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died and that is terrible. It is something with which we all suffer.”

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His comments followed conclusions presented Tuesday by an independent commission that looked at Sweden’s handling of the pandemic. He said that the care of the elderly in Sweden has significant structural deficiencies and authorities have shown that they are unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with the pandemic.

Sweden has stood out among European and other nations for the way it has handled the pandemic, for a long time without imposing closures as in other nations, but relying on citizens’ sense of civic duty. The Scandinavian country has experienced more than 7,800 deaths related to the virus.

In September, Sweden lifted the national ban on visiting older people in nursing homes, saying the need had diminished. The ban came after most of Sweden’s deaths earlier this year were among people over 70 and many in nursing homes.

“You think of all the family members who have not been able to say goodbye to their deceased relatives,” said the king in an excerpt from a pre-recorded Christmas interview to be broadcast on December 21 on the Swedish broadcaster SVT. “I think it is a heavy and traumatic experience not being able to say a warm goodbye.”

The excerpt was broadcast by SVT.

“The Swedish people have suffered tremendously in difficult conditions,” Carl Gustav said, adding: “Lately, it has felt more obvious, it has come closer and closer. That is not what you want.”

His son, Prince Carl Philip, who is fifth in the line of succession, and his wife, Princess Sophia, tested positive and had milder flu symptoms. They were quarantined at home with their two children.

Carl Gustaf is the head of state of Sweden, but his duties are ceremonial and he has no political power.

Sweden’s strategy was expected to prevent the country from a resurgence of the disease this fall. Before the report’s findings were released, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said health officials had misjudged the impact of the latest wave of the pandemic.

“The commission criticizes different governments and different municipal bodies,” Lofven said of the sharp official report. Mats Melin, head of the commission that wrote the report, said that the blame for structural deficiencies in the Swedish health system could be attributed to various authorities and organizations.

“One must be able to trust that society works and also exists when one ages. Anything else is not worthy of a welfare state like ours,” Lofven told a news conference.

Sweden has seen a rapid rise in new coronavirus infections that strained its health care system. The virus has spread rapidly among medical personnel, forcing the government to back more restrictions, including a national ban on the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. in bars and restaurants.

Sweden, known for its taxpayer-funded social welfare system built over generations to protect citizens from cradle to grave, has also imposed its most stringent virus restrictions to date by banning public gatherings of more than eight people.

“Unfortunately, the death toll is likely to continue to rise in the coming weeks,” Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said at a different press conference.

The country of 10 million has seen 357,466 cases and reported 7,893 deaths, according to the latest figures. – AP