Infection is rampant in Skåne, no reduction observed

Of: Anna Sjögren, Olof Svensson

Published: Dec 22, 2020 at 6:37 p.m.
Updated: December 22, 2020 at 7:17 p.m.

The spread of the infection is increasing considerably in Skåne and Blekinge and remains high in several other regions.

The second corona wave does not diminish in strength and, according to infection control professor Jan Albert, in the worst case it can remain at a high level until April next year.

– We cannot rule it out, says Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of department at the Swedish Public Health Agency.

The corona pandemic has taken a heavy toll across much of the country, and with just a few days to go until the Christmas holidays, there are no signs of slowing down nationally.

Today, a sad new milestone was reached when another 174 new deaths were reported after the weekend break, meaning more than 8,000 Swedes have died from covid-19.

– We have a higher number of deaths week after week. And we hope they will continue to rise, sadly, says Karin Tegmark Wisell during today’s press conference.

And the spread of the infection remains high across the country. In total, Sweden has a total infection rate of 883 corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.

Photo: Claudio Bresciani / TT

Karin Tegmark Wisell.

The infection curve points up

And in Skåne, the infection has increased considerably in recent weeks. In the last week, almost 2,000 new cases have been identified and the contagion rate is well above the national average: 1,414 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

And in several other regions, including Blekinge, Dalarna and Gävleborg, the curve on the number of new confirmed cases continues to rise sharply.

– We have a large number of new cases, it is still a serious situation in Sweden. We do not see a decrease nationally but rather an increase, says Karin Tegmark Wisell.

Stockholm has reached a plateau

The infection continues to increase in Stockholm and Uppsala as well, but according to Karin Tegmark Wisell, the regions have reached a plateau phase. Here, infection rates are 913 and 815 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. That is, slightly above and below the national average.

But the pressure on healthcare hasn’t abated, at least not in Stockholm, according to Björn Eriksson, director of health and healthcare in the region.

According to Karin Tegmark Wisell, the fact that the spread of the infection in the country is not decreasing despite the restrictions may be due to several things.

– Compliance looks different, the population has different conditions in different geographic contexts. The infection generally spreads more in dense contexts.

Doesn’t that show that restrictions are not enough?

– It’s always a balance. Restrictions have consequences. If you close schools, you know that many children are forced to stop having their fixed point in life. We are not only analyzing the spread of the infection, but the whole.

What would it mean if the new covid-19 mutation takes over Sweden?

– If the UK preliminary information is correct, there is a risk that it will be even more difficult for us to stop the continued spread of the infection. So we have to hold out even longer and limit the circles you find yourself in.

In early December, Jan Albert, professor of infection control at the Karolinska Institutet, said in an interview in Aktuellt that cold winter weather may play a bigger role than previously thought. And that the pandemic in the worst case scenario can remain at a high level until April.

Do you share that fear?

– We can’t rule it out. We follow developments in many different countries. Holland had a nice decline last fall, now they have risen, Britain has changed and risen. It is an interaction between the restrictions that exist, the compliance of the population and the different variants of the virus that are found. It’s incredibly difficult to say what it will be like in the future, says Karin Tegmark Wisell.

Published: Dec 22, 2020 at 6:37 p.m.

READ ON