Covid 19 coronavirus: Sweden runs out of intensive care beds as cases rise

Sweden is running out of intensive care beds amid escalating Covid-19 cases and may have to communicate with other nations, an expert warned.

Intensive care units in the capital Stockholm, the worst hit during the country’s second wave, reached 99 percent of capacity this week, the Daily Mail reports.

Sweden, which remained unconditionally free of lockdowns while most of the world adopted restrictions, will soon need to turn to its neighbors for help.

Sten Rubertsson, director of Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, warned that the country may have to reach out to neighbors like Finland, which has used lockdowns, for help.

According to local media, Sweden has around 700 intensive care beds.

While the country has not yet exceeded that capacity, beds are scattered across the country and the expert has pointed out that it could soon become a problem as big cities like Stockholm reach their limits.

The capital is already operating at full capacity.

Other heavily affected cities are Malmo and Gothenburg, which are close to reaching their limits.

Finland has already said that it is ready to help its neighbor.

“With intensive care, with probationary capacity, with everything we can. We are here for you,” Finnish Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo said a few months ago.

Sweden made headlines this year because it avoided lockdowns and even social distancing and wearing masks during the first months of the pandemic.

Virus expert Anders Tegnell previously predicted that bypassing the lockdown would make Sweden better prepared for winter, as he believed that the country’s population would develop a natural level of herd immunity.

In fact, Sweden has been hit especially hard by the second wave of the virus, and at one point had the fastest growing outbreak in Europe.

Sweden has so far had more than 300,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 7,000 deaths. Finland, which adopted lockdown restrictions, had about 30,000 cases and 400 deaths.

The numbers have prompted Sweden to backtrack on its strategy and adopt night curfews and a ban on large gatherings.