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With the pandemic numbers going “all in the wrong direction”, the Swedish government decided to impose a new restriction due to covid-19: bars and restaurants serving alcoholic beverages will have to close at 10 pm from November 22 , ad. the Executive.
It is a departure from the approach of the Swedish authorities so far, which has been based on recommendations to the population with very few mandatory restrictions. But after a summer in which it seemed that the country was better off facing the pandemic than the rest of Europe, it is now clear that “the indicators are going the wrong way,” Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said.
On another record day of infections, the health agency reported 5,990 new cases of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus this Friday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. At the beginning of the month, there was another record, 4,697 new infections.
In terms of deaths, 42 were declared, bringing the total to 6,164, a figure much higher than that of the Nordic neighbors. – but below the fatality rate in Spain or the United Kingdom, for example.
This week, the country approached the United States in the rate of confirmed cases per million inhabitants, even exceeding it (441 in Sweden, 394 in the United States; this Thursday it was 423 in Sweden and 425 in the United States).
Data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control say the increase in recent weeks in Sweden may be the fastest growth in Europe, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
Less immunity
This happens even when the health authorities have indicated that the immunity is not as high as they expected. Chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has always ensured that his goal was not to achieve group immunity, but to avoid measures that could not be sustained in the medium term.
But Tegnell also anticipated that by not holding back, Sweden could not suffer a second wave as strong as that of its neighbors, due to the higher level of immunity expected. So the news that immunity numbers are below expectations is a setback.
Last week, 20% of tests carried out in the capital were positive, compared to 16% and 8.4% in the previous weeks, according to the TT news agency.
Commenting on the new data and the new measures, Tegnell pointed to the “big increase from last week” and admitted that there would be another increase this week, although he expressed the hope that it would not be so big.
Most of the new cases, he said, are the result of private parties. At the time, the epidemiologist said he hoped the now-announced bar restrictions wouldn’t cause people to have more parties at home.
Homes again without visits
Hospitals are treating 1,004 patients with Covid-19, a 60% increase from 627 last week, according to the guardian.
“We consider this situation extremely serious,” Stockholm health and medical services director Björn Eriksson told SVT television. “We hope that more people will continue to need medical attention in the coming weeks,” he added.
As recently as last week, the government had announced new recommendations for several regions at risk, including Stockholm, where home visiting was again prohibited (this had been the only ban imposed at the start of the pandemic, and then it was relaxed for visits flights) free, and finally suspended from September, when unrestricted visits were allowed).
The recommendations are that people do not have parties at home or go to other people’s parties, that they avoid indoor places such as shops and museums, and that they also do not make unnecessary trips on public transport. The Government also asked companies to take more measures to protect their employees and allow teleworking (something that is already common in the country).
A week ago, Tegnell said that the Swedes “now have to really limit close contact with immediate family.”
Speaking to the Swedes on Thursday, Löfven called on everyone to help contain the pandemic.
“There were more people relaxing in the fall, there’s no question about it. More people think that a night out is okay, a day of shopping at the mall may not have meant that their birthday party won’t make any difference, nor their reunion, but unfortunately it will, ”he said. , underlining: “All the decisions we make in our day to day make a difference. Pwe say of all. Everybody.“
