ON.I.R.I.S.P. October October Evening the tables outside Stockholm’s trendy bars and rest restaurants are empty. Inside, most of the tables are full. As life revolves around the home in the coming months, says John Carlson, head of Sweden’s public health agency, the Kovid-19 case will inevitably grow. The number of cases is already growing, although the spring was not as steep as yours, and slower than most of Europe. In response to Sweden contact-tracing and in a different city in different parts of the world. Starting the way.
When the epidemic swept across Europe in March, Sweden stood out from the crowd. Life did not go completely normally: universities and schools for children over 16 turned to learning online (although they have now reopened); Gatherings of more than 50 people were banned and people were asked to work from home. People over the age of 70 were urged to self-separate. But schools remained open for childcare and younger students, such as gym, bar and rest restaurant rent (with some restrictions to reduce the mix of supporters). The goal, as in other countries, was to protect the least contact between people and the most vulnerable. But the meanings were less harsh.
Although social life was not stagnant, the epidemic in most workplaces and public transport in the spring and summer was 20-30% lower than before. But office fees have been busier in recent weeks, partly because of the cases. May be. Shopping and outings (excluding parks) also dropped by 20-30% in the spring, but have since returned to normal.
On rescuing the elderly, Sweden failed. Its Covid-19 mortality rate is the highest in Europe, and ten times that of Norway and Finland. Like other countries, about half of Sweden’s deaths were in care homes. Is investigating what went wrong in the public investigation. The initial mistake in some municipalities was to ban care workers from wearing masks and gloves, for the reason that the people they care for offend themselves.
Beyond care homes, Covid-19 has had a particularly strong impact on ethnic minorities. The cemetery, located in Soderlej, a small town near Storeholm, is home to many immigrants, most of whom have fresh graves originating in Syria. Nouri Kino, an activist and journalist, says almost all died of covid-19. Michelle Worley, who runs a restaurant in Sodertalje, calls the first week of April a “disaster.” He says the ambulance was coming all day. “Every family around had someone or something.”
Andrew Tagnell, the country’s chief epidemiologist, says Covid-19 spreads unexpectedly fast and early in some immigrant communities. Six of the first ten Kovid deaths in Stockholm were Swedish Somalis. Official guidance came too late in immigrant groups. Before banning large gatherings, funerals with hundreds of guests were the norm and sources of some early outbreaks. Sunday service at one of the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Sodertalje draws about 500 people. Homes of eight to ten people and three generations under one roof are common among immigrants. And the elderly in these tight-knit communities are busy with social life. Mr. Worley, who has ten siblings, says his mother usually visited his children and grandchildren every week before the scholarship. He is much more cautious now.
By the end of the summer, the Swedish epidemic subsided without the need for new measures. Covid-19 wards are vacant; The virus is no longer widespread. According to Dr. Te Tagnell, based on various studies testing for antibodies, the best estimate is that about 20% of Swedes are infected and therefore considered to be immune, however, even among parts of Stockholm this rate varies greatly. This level of immunity, by itself, is not enough to stop the virus. But with social-distance and hygiene measures, it brought Sweden’s first wave to an end.
Sweden is taking new steps in this mix to stop the second wave. Backed by expanded testing capability, it recently resumed contact-tracing and quarantine. In most of Europe, strict 14-day quarantine is slapped on all contacts of infected people and anyone traveling in some parts of Europe. However, Sweden’s quarantine is for seven days and only for those who live with an infected person. If the fifth day is negative, the quarantine may end. Children who do not have symptoms are exempt from quarantine. All other contacts are simply warned that they may be infected. They are urged to work from home for up to a week, to test if they have any symptoms in the next 14 days, and to be more careful about seeing older relatives during that time.
The World Health Organization closes on a short-term quarantine of 14 days. Dr. Carlson says that since there is no vaccine yet, the Swedish approach is to take steps so that people can live for at least a year. The goal is to prevent transmission as much as possible without indefinitely disrupting people’s lives, especially in a way that harms their mental or physical (not to mention financial) health. Infections in people at home occur very easily, and people become very infected within the first week after infection. So Sweden’s quarantine policy can largely prevent the spread of covid as long as people follow.
They probably will. Cash payments are available for those who cannot work from home, such as taxi drivers. The government pays for antibody tests for whomever it wants. If you have a cold or flu-like odor, a positive antibody test will relieve you of the hassle of being tested for quarantine and covid. All of these measures seem much longer than other systems in Europe. But whether less ends up achieving more through Sweden will only become clear in the next few months. ■
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This article was published in the Europe section of the print edition under the title “Strange One Out”.
