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Five of Sweden’s largest regions have received stricter local councils since the possibility of local measures was introduced on October 19.
At the Swedish Public Health Agency press conference on Thursday, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell stated that there are clear signs that the spread of the infection is increasing in the country. On Thursday, 2,820 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported, the highest so far in Sweden.
– The proportion of positive tests has increased from three to four percent to five percent. This indicates that we have an increasing spread of infection in society, he says.
Skåne and Uppsala already have stricter restrictions. Also in Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Östergötland, local recommendations have been introduced in consultation with the infection control of the regions.
Thomas Wahlberg, an infection control doctor in the Västra Götaland region, said Thursday that they see more cases in medical care, nursing homes and home care.
– Clearly we have a greater spread of the infection. It takes place throughout our region, in all age groups, says Thomas Wahlberg.
Advice applies for all three regions from Thursday to November 19. Among other things, the public is urged to minimize their social contacts and avoid public settings.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says he should cancel dinners, parties and home visits. Trips that involve spending close time with new people should also be re-planned.
– All these contacts outside the closest circle should be kept low, he says.
The fact that restaurants and bars are not mentioned in the new councils is because they are controlled by a different set of rules, explains Anders Tegnell. Explain how to think when visiting a restaurant:
– It depends a bit on where you live, we have been different there. But in general it is about not creating new contacts. Going with your immediate family may be okay, but with a large group of people you don’t meet that often is not okay.
In the five regions that have received local advice, the public should work from home as much as possible. But in Östergötland, Västra Götaland and Stockholm, there is no advice to avoid local traffic, as is the case in Uppsala and Skåne.
Maria Rotzén Östlund, acting physician for infection control in the Stockholm region, says she points to the tips above for public transport.
– We have been saying “see if necessary” for a long time, and it is a strong decision. But we have reasoned that there are many who need local traffic in Stockholm to get to their jobs and have to leave. The others shouldn’t go, he says.
Maria Rotzén Östlund says that we must return to the behavior we had last spring.
– Then it was empty of people in the city. You thought carefully before you left and that’s what I want us to do again. But then we were probably driven by fear when we saw serious illnesses and deaths, and you may have family members who were affected. Now we have to do the same but be guided by common sense and take care of each other, he says.
At today’s press conference, the Swedish Public Health Agency announced that stricter restrictions will be introduced in three new regions.
Photo: Anders Wiklund / TT
Now 160,000 people are being tested per week, which can be compared to the 20,000 tests performed per week this spring. This means that the spread of the infection appears to be greater now than it was then, explains Anders Tegnell.
– It’s not like that. The spread of the infection was much higher in the spring, but then we didn’t have the ability to test as many, he says.
Many regional infection control companies have emphasized how rapidly infection is increasing. in several places, newly confirmed cases have doubled in a week. Anders Tegnell thinks it was just as good this spring and says the spread of the infection is exponential.
– The curves look like the increase is 50 to 60 percent all the time, but it is a much bigger difference to go from 10 to 15 cases compared to 500 to 750 cases, so it will now be more drastic.
In total, almost 6.3 million people now live with local restrictions in Sweden, or more than half the population. The spread of the infection also continues to increase in various places in the country and Halland has said that regional measures may be relevant there as well. Despite this, Anders Tegnell believes that the stricter national recommendations are not relevant.
– We think it is good to put additional pressure on regions that have an extra great need. I think there may be more clarity that way. It is much more difficult to understand the measures if they are introduced even in places that do not have a further spread of infection. Now the measurements better reflect what you actually see in your immediate area, he says.
