[ad_1]
After nearly a year in the iron grip of the crown, Sweden has lost many of its inhabitants. More than 12,700 deaths have been confirmed and more than 640,000 have been infected.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has been the face of Sweden abroad since March last year, while the virus has spread rapidly in the Swedish population.
The hope of herd immunity
It has always adhered to its strategy of softer measures and fewer restrictions than those implemented by other countries in the world.
Tegnell spoke for a long time that the inhabitants of Sweden could develop herd immunity against Covid-19, but this has gradually waned.
However, cautious recommendations on bandages, social distancing, travel and other restrictions have been less intrusive than in Norway and other European countries.
– It was wrong to delegate so much power
But in recent months, the debate in Sweden has intensified and increased. Many now express outright distrust of how the Swedish authorities have handled the crown crisis, with more wanting tougher measures to end widespread infections and deaths.
One of those now speaking out in favor of giving Tegnell less influence is the leader of the Swedish right-wing Moderaterna party, Ulf Kristersson.
In a discussion post in Dagens Nyheter, he calls for a concrete plan of action to resist the third wave of infection that Sweden is likely to face in the near future.
– It was wrong to delegate so much power to individual authorities, believes the party leader.
– Only the government alone can take responsibility
Therefore, he is now asking Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to take control and management of the pandemic.
– Only the government can only assume responsibility and decisions must be made based on a precautionary principle, it is stated in the debate post.
According to SVT, mutated viruses have been detected in 20 out of 21 Swedish regions, and the British variant is on the rise and now dominates the infection statistics.
– We know that the British variant is very contagious. We hope, as we see in Denmark and in the regions that we have been able to follow for a few weeks, that there will continue to be a greater share of the British variant in positive samples, said Karin Tegmark Wisell, Head of Department of the Swedish Public Health Agency , during a press conference.
– Sweden has been a paradoxical paradise
Political commentator Göran Eriksson on Svenska Dagbladet writes that a year passed before the moderates realized that the Swedish crown model had failed.
– During the fight against the pandemic, Sweden has been a paradoxical paradise. The Social Democratic government formulated a strategy that deviated from the outside world and was therefore questioned. The Swedish line, with relatively softer restrictions, was hailed by groups that tend not to be friends with Sweden, such as the American right-wing movement, Eriksson writes.
Threatened with death – living with police protection
Tegnell has recently received several hateful messages and has received death threats. He and several health leaders in Sweden are now living under police protection.
Employees of the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) have also received several serious threats of death and violence in the last year. Some of the incidents have been reported to the police.
Video: Here, the tattoo of the Swede Gustav Tegnell on his left arm
