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This was the week borders were closed, children’s sports stopped, and we learned to celebrate Christmas in small circles. Here is the viral news of Christmas week in summary.
A different Christmas.
Eight at the Christmas table was the norm. Seven out of ten respondents thought this made Christmas 2020 different from the Christmases before.
The high spread of the infection continued.
The high level of new COVID cases registered persisted through Christmas week. The average for the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve was about 1,500 new cases per day. New figures will arrive from the Skåne Region on Monday.
The proportion of positive test results remains at a high level; almost 22 percent of those evaluated had covid during week 51.
Health care in distress.
Coviditis patients at Skåne hospital became more and more numerous and, since the beginning of the week, medical care was put into so-called boost mode, which means that all resources can be reallocated to manage the care of this people.
The King’s Christmas Speech
– The light is back. The vaccine is on the way. We must believe in the future, said King Carl XVI Gustaf in his Christmas address to the Swedish people.
He directed a special thought to those affected by the crown, as sick people or as relatives. And a special thanks to the health and care staff. “We see their efforts and we are all deeply grateful.”
Stopped UK entries.
A new mutation in Sars-Cov-2 spread rapidly in the UK and the EU stopped entry into the country. The flight was canceled.
“Travelers from the UK to Sweden are encouraged to stay home and avoid contact with others as much as possible, and to get tested as soon as possible after arrival,” urged the Public health.
Closed border on the Sound.
On Tuesday night, Sweden closed the border for entry from Denmark. The reason is both that the latest mutation of the virus has been found in Copenhagen and the risk of Danish shopping spreading covid in Scanian shopping centers.
The following day, transit traffic was allowed to Bornholm, after Danish protests.
No inner training for young people.
Last week ended with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announcing stricter restrictions. All municipal activities that are not deemed necessary should be closed immediately. After a couple of days of uncertainty, the municipalities began to close.
Skånsk syringe soon.
Vaccinations will begin in Sweden on Sunday, December 27. Helsingborg receives the first more than four hundred doses of Scanian vaccine, which go to frail older people in several selected households.
By the new year, more than 6,000 people from Skåne will be vaccinated, the Skåne region hopes.
Elder care laws should be investigated.
The CEO of the National Board of Health and Welfare, Olivia Wigzell (pictured), will lead the investigation into a new law on care for the elderly. This should include a national care plan that ensures access to medical skills as a nurse and doctor in Swedish nursing homes. The investigation must be completed by June 30, 2022.
Stronger government in future crises.
An amendment to the constitution is needed to strengthen the powers of the government in case of serious crisis in peacetime, not like now only in case of war or danger of war. All parliamentary parties must participate in the committee. The bill will give the government the right to “temporarily legislate in the Riksdag area,” according to Interior Minister Mikael Damberg (pictured). The change is likely to take effect at the earliest after the 2026 elections.
Less antibiotics this year.
It’s not just the flu and winter vomiting that have recovered this season. The restrictions that will protect us against covid also appear to have stopped many respiratory infections this year. Antibiotic use has dropped dramatically, states the Public Health Agency: 25 percent less in the second quarter and 18 percent in the third compared to last year.
