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Prime Minister Stefan Löfven fears a dismal development in Sweden. Here are the numbers that show why.
People with bandages are not common in Sweden. But people are asked to use home offices and avoid physical contact with other people. Photo: Donation poster
While other countries tightened their crown measures a month ago, Sweden relaxed some of theirs. Again he was allowed to visit nursing homes. Several could be spectators at events.
At the same time, infection curves in European countries began to increase sharply. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said last month that Sweden stood out.
Sweden had been among the worst affected countries this spring, with deaths through the roof. After the summer, things were much better.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says the infection curve in Sweden is steeper than expected. Photo: TT / NTB
– Different development
In recent weeks, development has taken a dramatic turn. The infection is increasing considerably in Sweden.
Stockholm introduces a new curfew in nursing homes. It is not really a law. Gothenburg will do the same.
Furthermore, measures are tightening in almost all regions of Sweden. On Wednesday, Löfven said a ban on serving alcohol after 10pm will be introduced and will take effect in just over a week.
– Development has become different than we thought. This does not only apply to Sweden. I think few countries had imagined this, Anders Tegnell told the Public Health Authority press conference on Thursday.
The second wave
Tegnell has previously said that he didn’t think there would be another big corona wave in Sweden because they had such a high spread of the infection this spring. He was not alone in believing that there would be fewer local outbreaks.
Now it confirms that Sweden is in a second wave.
– Yes, depending on the definition you put on a “second wave,” Tegnell said Thursday.
– We are in a different situation than ours. Then it was more local. Now we see it spread in many regions at the same time.
The day before, Stefan Löfven warned that the situation could darken and that all arrows were going the wrong way.
Here are the figures showing how development has been reversed:
The spread of the infection has increased considerably in all Swedish regions. In recent days, more than 4,000 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus every day. The Gotland, Dalarna, Värmland and Västmanland regions will now also introduce stricter measures. People are asked to stay indoors, avoid going to shopping malls, concerts, trainings, or going to parties. Now there are only three regions that do not have such strict advice for people.
The Swedish counterpart to the Directorate of Civil Contingencies, MSB, says there is a difference in how well Swedes follow these tips. Some regions report that people are tired of the measures and do not follow them. Others claim they have an effect.
The following image shows the development in one of the regions that now asks people to feel at home.
The developments in Dalarna are felt in other Swedish regions. The infection increases considerably. Therefore, everyone is now being asked to stay home as long as possible. Photo: Swedish Public Health Agency
The number of people admitted to the intensive care unit is increasing dramatically.
- In Sweden, 1,024 were hospitalized on Thursday. 128 of them were in the intensive care unit.
- Norway has half the population. A total of 110 patients were admitted here and 21 to the intensive care unit.
The infection has spread again to several nursing homes. More than 300 nursing home patients have been diagnosed with the infection. The number of deaths per crown per day increases. From Wednesday to Thursday, 40 new corona deaths were recorded. In the past two weeks, 151 people have died from the coronavirus in Sweden, Expressen writes.
However, the death toll is nowhere near what the Swedes experienced this spring. Hospital capacity is still considered good.
Last week Sweden tested 228,000 people, but now testing capacity has exploded. There are not enough people to track infections. About 10 percent of those tested had the coronavirus detected last week.
The Financial Times writes that Sweden is now the country in Europe where the number of hospital admissions is increasing the most.
– It’s conceivable. But the numbers must be put into context. We are in a different part of the curve than the rest of Europe. We’re a little behind and starting at a lower level, Tegnell said when faced with this on Thursday.
Herd immunity email
During the corona pandemic, Sweden has chosen a different line than other European countries. Most of the measures remain voluntary. Swedish infection control authorities believe, for example, that masks are not necessary.
The person most central to Sweden’s crown strategy is Anders Tegnell. Lead the infection control work. Svenska Dagbladet mentioned that she mentioned a new book on Sweden’s crown strategy. Here it is claimed that Tegnell went early against professional advice to shut down the society to stop the spread of the infection.
Emails accessed by author Johan Anderberg to provide information on the discussion between Tegnell and other epidemiologists. They suggest that Tegnell all in March thought it was too late to close. The virus had to be allowed to spread slowly through the population. This was how flock immunity could be achieved. The emails Aftenposten has mentioned above also point to the same thing.
However, Tegnell has denied that it is a strategy. He says the goal at all times is to stop the spread of the infection and ensure that hospitals have sufficient capacity.
