The infection continues to increase in the first regions with municipalities



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– In Uppsala we see a slower increase, it has slowed down a bit. We believe this is a consequence of local general councils, says Mikael Köhler.

He is the director of health and medical care in the Uppsala region, which was the first in Sweden to receive general local advice. Tuesday marked four weeks since the measure was introduced. A week later, similar advice arrived in Skåne, and shortly after in Stockholm, Östergötland and Västra Götaland.

Doctors in the pilot regions agree on the development after just under a month with one piece of advice: the spread of infection continues, hospital cases are increasing, but some behavioral changes can be discerned.

– Bar life came to a halt on a large scale a few weeks ago, visits to shopping malls have decreased, travel between Uppsala and Stockholm has decreased, and several employers have taken it very seriously, says Köhler.

It means that the infection here it has partially changed form, as an assumed result that people behave differently. From spreading at parties and gatherings to spreading to a greater extent at home. However, the infection occurs elsewhere as well, and the burden for medical care is high.

Infection control physicians in others regions think We also see that fewer people move outside, that fewer people use public transport. In the Skåne Region, it was Tuesday three weeks since the councils came into effect.

– We take the continued infection very seriously. At the same time, we have prepared for it from an infection control point of view. Stopping a general spread of infection takes time, and the fluctuation in care will take even longer, says infection control doctor Eva Melander.

She continues:

– We see things happening in society, and we hope it will give results. But it takes a longer period, and even more people engage with the council.

One difficulty is reaching the entire population, various regions emphasize. They invest in ongoing press conferences, social media campaigns, and clear signage to influence residents.

Thomas Wahlberg is an infection control physician at Region Västra Götaland and believe that after three weeks you can see a slowdown.

– We still have a large spread of the infection, but we think the rate of increase has slowed down a bit. However, it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, he says.

He emphasizes that local councils are roughly worded and that most people know their content. Since it is not yet met in some places, it also raises the government’s proposal that public gatherings be limited to eight people.

– It is an extremely important brand to continue creating the norm that we must be less compliant, says Wahlberg.

Also in the Stockholm Region it is increasing covidsmittan. So far, there has been a concrete change since the advisory came: that rail travel has decreased.

– The development is worrying. At the same time, it is too early to see an effect from local general councils, says Maria Rotzén Östlund, an infection control physician in the Stockholm region.

She, like her counterparts in other regions, continues to hope the move will pay off.

– We would not have implemented the advice if we did not believe in an effect. I think it was an alarm clock. They emphasize that we must regain the way of thinking we had last spring, says Rotzén Östlund.

In addition, she believes that more people take care of themselves when they notice that many are getting sick and hearing the alarms of a healthcare system that is under stress.

Infection Control Doctor Britt Åkerlind in Region Östergötland notes that sampling in the region is currently limited, but that infection continues to increase. The region will live for a time with the prevailing level, he believes.

– Then we expect a decline. In an ideal world, we could have compared what had happened with and without advice, but we can’t. I suspect it would have been even worse without them, he says and continues:

– The result depends on the behavior of the entire population. No contribution is too small. I think we’ll have to wait at least another three or four weeks before we see where it goes.

Åkerlind believes that to some extent the delay is due to the fact that it takes time for the message to sink in. Then it takes more time before residents begin to change their behaviors appropriately.

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