Fewer young people die of covid-19 in Sweden

When Stefan Löfven celebrated the nation’s crown on November 22, he issued a special appeal to “You who can feel that this does not concern you”:

– A grandparent who infects can die. It is for the people that you are to make sacrifices. It is for these people that you have to show determination, self-discipline and a sense of responsibility, said the Prime Minister.

And the figures show that the new corona virus, which throughout the pandemic hit the oldest one hardest, now reaps an even higher proportion of its deaths in that age group.

A total of 7,035 people in Sweden have died with covid-19 as the cause of death according to the certificate of cause of death received up to and including December 7.

One in 40 is under 60

That’s 1,001 more than in the National Board of Health and Welfare statistics update on Nov. 2 – that is, at a time when the death toll began to rebound after the low levels of the summer and early fall. .

Of the 1,001 dead, only 25 were under the age of 60. This corresponds to 2.5% and can be compared to the period up to November 2, when the proportion below 60 was 3.9%.

The share of under-70s is now 6.1%, compared to 10.8% previously.

The age group 70-74 years also represents a declining proportion of deaths: 5.8% now versus 8.3% previously.

Every third deceased is over 90

The downside is that a growing proportion of deaths are among the oldest. One in three deaths, 33.5 percent, now occurs in the 90+ age group. Previously, the ratio was 26.4 percent.

The statistics do not clearly show what the difference is. On the other hand, it is well known that medical care has improved in rescuing covid patients.

Among those treated in covid-19 hospitals in March, 20 percent died. By October, the proportion had fallen to 8.7 percent, according to a survey by the National Board of Health and Welfare.

It is also well known that older people with severe covid-19, especially those in nursing homes, receive hospital care to a lesser extent than others.

This article is based on statistics from the National Board of Health and Welfare Registry of Causes of Death. The certificate of cause of death must be received no later than three weeks after death. So there is a delay in the death toll.