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ALMOST THE SAME: In the European landscape of which countries have the highest infection pressure, Sweden is slightly above Norway. Oslo is one of the Norwegian municipalities where the infection is increasing. Photo: Jørgen Braastad
Recent figures from the European Agency for Disease Control (ECDC) show that Norway and Sweden have almost the same infection pressure. But Sweden is even higher.
Since the pandemic began, Sweden has been hit harder than Norway. And they still are: they still have more deaths and more infections. But if we look at the infected per 100,000 inhabitants, the countries are now almost the same.
ECDC figures are those used by European countries when deciding their travel advice. And the figures show that Norway has 28.4 new cases of infection per 100,000 inhabitants. Figures for Sweden are in 28.7.
Tap the charts to see the numbers for the different days.
ECDC figures are valid from 2 to 15 September.
When it was reported on Sunday that Norway had overtaken Sweden in infection pressure, the ECDC lacked recent figures for Sweden. They only have that now. And they show, as you can see from the graph above, that Norway has yet to overtake Sweden.
FHI explained: more immunity
Department head Line Vold explains that there has been work to reduce infection rates in Sweden for a long time, and Sweden has been on a downward trend in infection rates for some time.
– Immunity may have something to do with it, and that may be good news, she says.
NIPH: The immunity of Line Vold, head of the department, may have something to do with the lower infection rates in Sweden. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum
The population of Sweden will probably have more immunity than the Norwegian population because they have had more infections. But he emphasizes that it is not known how important it is to reduce the spread of the infection.
– Sweden has now used testing, monitoring and quarantine to a greater extent than before, that is, the same tools that we use to control outbreaks, says Vold.
Minister of Health: – Happy with the development
Health Minister Bent Høie is pleased that the figures for Norway and Sweden have recently come close.
– I am very happy with the development that we are seeing now in Sweden, which is making our countries more equal again, Høie tells VG.
HAPPY: The Minister of Health, Bent Høie, is happy with the development in Sweden. Photo: Frode Hansen
– For Norway it is of great importance that Sweden is successful in this work. And I hope that the Nordic region is the most open region in Europe, even though it is a pandemic. But it depends on whether we have control of the infection in each country, Høie told VG at Monday’s press conference.
– Are you still sure that Norway has chosen the correct strategy?
– Yes. And then I experience that Norway and Sweden have very similar strategies. And we’ve had it for a long time. Especially after Sweden increased their testing capacity, so they started testing many. Although they do not taste as many as in Norway, they have had a spectacular increase. And it has made us more alike. I also think it has had a significant positive effect in Sweden, says the Minister of Health.
Tegnell: – We are in different phases
Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell believes there are several reasons.
– We are in different phases, recently we had a rapid decline in Sweden. We still have the same restrictions and we have not published anything as in Norway. Several are immune in Sweden, he writes in an email.
Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell believes that Sweden and Norway are in different phases. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY / X02350
– Now that the infection situation in Norway and Sweden is almost the same, should the borders be completely “opened”?
– Sweden has no restrictions related to borders, writes Tegnell.
Not relevant with separate rules for Sweden
Line Vold at FHI says that infection rates in Norway are now largely affected by the outbreak in the municipalities of Bergen and Østfold.
Line Vold emphasizes that there is a high probability that there will be more local outbreaks.
– Now that the infection situation in Norway and Sweden is almost the same, should the borders be completely “opened”?
– As of now, it is not relevant with separate rules for Sweden. We assess the Nordic region at a regional level, and we have the same cutoff values and criteria that we assess for the Nordic region and for the Schengen countries, he says.
