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For the first time during the pandemic, 99% of intensive care units in the Stockholm region were filled on Tuesday. This was weeks after the country began to reverse the controversial initial strategy.
Intensive care units in Stockholm hospitals have reached 99% capacity for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The next day, Wednesday, there were only five to seven vacancies available in the Swedish capital, out of a total of 160, reports the newspaper “Aftonbladet”.
The scenario was described on the same day by Stockholm Health and Medical Services Director Bjorn Eriksson with the phrase “we need help.” In a press conference quoted by Reuters, he said that the situation “is very serious” and that the region has been “considerably more affected” by the pandemic than other large urban centers. “We mobilized everything we could and gave everything we had to give, so that everyone received the attention they need. Now we must continue to do our best, all actors in society as a whole, to offer resistance to the virus and the pandemic. “.
“It was exactly this evolution that we did not want to see. It shows that we Stockholm residents were in a crowd and with many contacts outside the home. Medical care is now under so much pressure that there is not much room in the healthcare system. “. , admitted the person in charge.
Björn Persson, who heads the intensive care service at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, even told the newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” that if more patients arrive than the unit can receive, health professionals will have to find a place for them. somewhere else. “Intensive care is the last safety net, so this is a very serious situation.”, He confessed when he realized that the hospital now has 89 covid patients in intensive care, 825 in the infirmary and an overloaded team, forced to work several overtime. In addition to Karolinsa, the Södersjukhuset hospital now opens intermediate care posts.
The reverse did not prevent the aggravation
From the beginning, Sweden took a controversial approach to fighting the pandemic, avoiding lockdown rules, relying on citizens to voluntarily follow precautions such as social detachment, and privileging the concept of herd immunity. But at the end of June, the number of deaths per million inhabitants far exceeded that of neighboring countries: Sweden registers to date 7354 deceased by covid-19, compared to 382 in Norway, 918 in Denmark, and 442 in Finland (although the country has almost twice the population of its neighbors, the numbers are not proportional).
In September, the number of cases began to rise and, in November, the country registered numbers of infected with new highs every day. The paradigm shift has meant a change in strategy: the Swedish government has begun, in recent weeks, to impose stricter measures, such as the partial closure of bars and restaurants and the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages, after 10 p.m. . Additionally, five of the country’s 21 regions are now under stricter guidelines urging citizens to socially distance themselves. Last week, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven also announced that primary schools would operate with distance education for the rest of the year.
Still, the Swedish Health Agency, largely behind Sweden’s no-containment strategy, continues to refrain from recommending masks. This was after the World Health Organization said that in places where the pandemic was growing, people should always wear a mask in closed spaces without adequate ventilation.
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