– We have failed – VG

– I look at him like we failed. We have a lot of people who have died and that is cruel. This is something we all struggle with, says King Carl Gustaf on the annual “The Year with the Royal Family.”

More than 7,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Sweden. By comparison, the death toll in Norway is 402.

– The Swedish people have suffered greatly under difficult conditions. One thinks of all the relatives who have not been able to say goodbye to their deceased relatives. “I think it is a heavy and traumatic experience not being able to say a warm goodbye,” says the Swedish king in the interview.

Choose another strategy

When asked to summarize last year, use the word “different.”

– It probably covers everything, I think it has been terrible considering all the people who have passed away, and the pain and frustration of many families and all companies that have come to their knees. It is a terrible year that has affected us and Sweden.

King Carl Gustaf is also asked if he himself fears being infected with the coronavirus.

– Lately it has felt more noticeable, it has gotten closer and closer. That is not what you want.

Johan T. Lindwall, editor-in-chief of the Swedish royal magazine Svensk Damtidning, says according to Expressen that it is exceptional and unusual for the king to come out and speak so critically.

Sweden initially took a different approach to the crown crisis than many other countries in Europe, with less degree of closure and restrictions. When Norway closed its borders this spring, Sweden remained open.

But despite the fact that Swedes have enjoyed greater freedom, this has cost: the country has ten times more deaths per 100,000 inhabitants than Norway.

VG in Sweden: One pandemic, two strategies

Hospitals pressured

The pressure on Swedish hospitals in Stockholm in particular has also been great during the second wave of infections. On Sunday, the director of the hospital in the region urgently called for help from health personnel from other regions. According to him, the state of the hospitals was the worst in modern times.

The number of corona patients admitted to Swedish hospitals is now higher than in March, but fewer are in need of intensive care, VG figures show.

In an interim report by the Swedish Crown Commission, it was claimed on Wednesday that they have failed to protect the elderly from the virus. There, the authorities are also criticized for not acting quickly enough, even when introducing measures during the summer.