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If there is anything this year and the corona pandemic should teach us, it is not to rush to conclusions.
When country after country closed in the spring, Sweden decided to keep schools, shops and restaurants open, but recommended that citizens stay home in case of illness and keep their distance. Sweden was headed for disaster, many warned. When the number of deaths in Sweden far exceeded our neighboring countries, many critics of the Swedish strategy thought they were right.
Now much of the harsh criticism has fallen silent. The spread of covid-19 has accelerated again after the summer and cases are increasing dramatically in many places in Europe. But not in Sweden. The number of infected remains at a fairly low level. Few are served with VAT and even fewer die. No major changes to the recommendations have been made over the summer, no recommendations on mouth guards.
Total community closures are not sustainable in the long term. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called them a “hard hitting tool” that has generated huge costs in many countries. By that he was not only referring to the economic aspect, but he was also referring to human suffering.
Exactly what today gently The positive situation depends on it being unknown, but experts mention a combination of compliance with the recommendations, some immunity in the population and that we are more outdoors during the summer.
That does not mean that we can relax. We do not know what the autumn will be like, there is a great risk of local and regional outbreaks. The authorities’ recommendations for keeping your distance, staying home in case of illness and washing your hands are strong.
Many countries are trying to develop a long-term strategy and avoid further closures as cases increase. Then many start looking at the Swedish model, which SvD recently reported.
Read more: The expert that Sweden’s strategy has not only been successful
Total community closures are not sustainable in the long term. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called them a “hard hitting tool” that has generated huge costs in many countries. So he not only referred to the economic aspect, but also spoke of human suffering. We are already seeing, among other things, increased vulnerability, poverty, hunger and abuse in homes as a result of the closures. The most vulnerable are also the most affected.
It is important to find a long-term strategy that involves the least impact on society and the greatest possible impact on the spread of infection. We have not decided yet, but Sweden has shown other countries that it is also possible to reduce the spread of the new corona virus in society without an abrupt shutdown. More and more people are beginning to realize that Sweden actually has restrictions, that we don’t live our lives as usual during the year.
The Swedish strategy is based on trust between authorities and citizens and personal responsibility. It is a model that, among other things, works very well when it comes to vaccines for children. Here, more than 97 percent of children are vaccinated, a figure that other countries do not even reach with coercive measures. Therefore, it is not certain that the Swedish model with voluntariness and easy-to-follow long-term recommendations will suit all countries.
Although we have learned a lot about the new virus during the pandemic, we still don’t know which strategy is best in the long term. Nobody has done everything right and nobody has done everything wrong. Sweden has had tragically many deaths, a large proportion of them in nursing homes. But even in countries that have had closures, many deaths have occurred in nursing homes. Furthermore, the pandemic is not over. What worked in the spring may not work in the fall. Some of the countries that stand out as successful examples against the virus are now experiencing setbacks.
We probably do our best to avoid pointing out winners and losers, this is not a tragic competition. The new coronavirus is here to stay, now all countries must find methods that prevent the spread of the infection and that have the least possible impact on the economy and the individual citizen.
Read more: Danish youth behind a new spread of the infection
