[ad_1]
Sweden introduces an entry ban for Great Britain after a new variant of the coronavirus was discovered in parts of England. The mutation spreads rapidly and is estimated to be up to 70 percent more contagious, although it does not appear to cause more serious illness than currently circulating variants of the virus.
The Swedish Public Health Agency has so far not found any cases in Sweden, but in Denmark it has already been confirmed that a handful of people are affected by the new variant. Therefore, a travel ban is also introduced for Denmark.
– It is not possible to completely rule out that it already exists in Sweden. However, it is positive that we have not yet discovered the new variant here. In south-east England it has become established, and two-thirds of all newly infected people appear to have been infected by the new variant. This doesn’t seem to be the case in Sweden, so we’re probably in a better starting position, Niklas Arnberg, professor of virology at Umeå University.
He believes the new government entry ban is a good one.
– Reduces the risk of the new variant entering Sweden. If you’re not here yet, we want to do everything we can to keep you away. It is a type of precautionary principle that you now choose to take, which you might not have done before during the course of the pandemic.
What does it mean if Sweden has this most contagious variant?
– If or when it becomes widespread in society, it probably means that more people will get sick, more people will be admitted to Iva, the burden on medical care will be even greater and more people will not be able to cope, says Niklas Arnberg.
The method: travelers in quarantine
Annika Linde, a virologist and former state epidemiologist, believes that we must stop the new mutation by all means. She advocates for quarantine demands for immigrants from the UK to stop the spread of the infection.
The Public Health Agency’s announcement on Monday is also urging UK participants from December 12 to get tested immediately, stay home and avoid contacts for a week.
Sweden has so far received no quarantine calls during the pandemic, while in Norway, for example, it has long had a mandatory quarantine for everyone who has been abroad, where anyone who breaks the rules is punished with a fine.
– It is important that you test everyone and quarantine them. You may not be able to stop this variant entirely, but the less you go in the better. We must be very careful to break the chains of infection. We cannot afford to take risks in any way, says Annika Linde.
What are the consequences of a more contagious virus?
– The consequence is that more people get infected and, in the long run, more people get sick. It puts even more pressure on health care, which is hardly powerful.
“Disaster”
She gives an example calculation:
– If a person usually infects two others, a person will infect at least three others with this virus, which is 70 percent more contagious. Next time, these three people will cause at least nine others to become infected, while with the old virus, only four will become infected. So it will be a very rapid increase if we have this virus, says Annika Linde.
The new variant has an estimated potential to increase the breeding number, the so-called R number at 0.4. In an interview with the TT news agency, Annika Linde explains:
– An increase of 0.4 may not sound like much, but it may mean that the spread of the infection increases and for healthcare already working on the margins, it can be a disaster.
Also, it says that mouth guards should be worn to reduce the spread:
– For the virus, it may be successful in transmitting a milder disease, because people continue to be in the community and therefore spread the infection more than if they became seriously ill. That’s why others and I advocate for mouth protection to reduce the spread of infection, he says.
The government has previously issued information that mouth protection will be applied, but only at work on weekdays and at certain times beginning January 7. The Swedish Public Health Agency is developing the guidelines to be applied.
