[ad_1]
In Uppsala and Skåne, the Public Health Agency has presented the local general councils, and Halland is now open to the same opportunity. The Stockholm Region believes that such a decision is not yet relevant, but that the dialogue between the infection control unit and the Public Health Agency is ongoing.
– The introduction of local general advice can be a tool to reduce the spread of infection in Stockholm. It can act as an alarm clock, and anything that works is positive. It’s about communicating to the public that the pandemic is still there, no matter how boring and horrible it feels, says Maria Rotzén Östlund, PhD in infection control in the Stockholm region.
The fact that the number of confirmed cases is increasing in Sweden is a trend that has been seen in recent weeks. At the same time, the number of samples is also increasing, which is part of the explanation. The daily number of new cases is difficult to compare with the spring figures because then it was mainly people who needed hospital care who were tested.
The number of new cases in Stockholm was last week almost double than the previous week. The pressure on healthcare in the capital region is also increasing. In one week, those seen in hospital have increased by just over 60 percent, from 74 patients to 119. Of these, 14 people are in intensive care, according to figures from the Stockholm Region on Tuesday.
The increase in Stockholm corresponds to that of Skåne, where the number of cases doubled between last week and the previous one.
– It is serious that it is spreading so fast and that the pressure on healthcare is increasing. We do not want to return to the spring situation. The responsibility for that lies with all of us. It’s not time to get tired of the crown, no matter how tempting it is to hang out and hug friends and family, says Maria Rotzén Östlund.
Infection control doctor cannot answer on whether and when local general advice for Stockholm may be relevant. She emphasizes that what applies at the moment are the national guidelines that have been in place since the spring.
– That it spreads a lot can be due to several things, in part because people are beginning to relax and can no longer cope. But I go back to the mantra: Wait and wait, she says.
State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said during a press conference on Tuesday that dialogue is being held with, among others, the Stockholm Region.
– We see a similar situation in Västra Götaland and we have a dialogue with both regions if further action is required. We really haven’t gotten there yet because the situation is still pretty much under control, he said.
In Halland you can also see in large increase in infection. On Tuesday 99 new cases of covid-19 were confirmed in the region, the highest number so far. Therefore, the Regional Council will meet on Thursday to discuss complementary measures, writes the region. This is done in consultation with the Infection Control Unit and the Public Health Agency. The Swedish Public Health Agency makes a formal decision on such measures.
– The most important thing to keep the infection low is the advice that is already applied. If everyone followed the advice, we would not be in the situation we are in now, says infection control doctor Maria Ryberg Mo, in a press release.
It is not yet clear which new measures may be relevant.
Uppsala was the first region in Sweden for special local advice from the Swedish Public Health Agency. In the next week, the region will expand its sampling, to further improve tracking and limiting the infection.
– The purpose of PCR samples is to analyze, isolate and trace. It wouldn’t make sense if public access were limited, says Mats Martinell, a medical officer with the Covid-19 infection monitoring and sampling unit in Uppsala.
