Thursday, April 2, 2020

Sweden: Coronavirus

When it comes to coronavirus, Sweden is taking a different path than most nations. The nation has put some restrictions in place, but not as many as other countries. In a way, you could say they're approaching this similar to how Brazil is currently dealing with this (and as the New York Times article below mentions, The Netherlands). And also similar to the approach the UK took for a handful of days before reversing course.

The New York Times wrote on March 29th about what is going on in Sweden:

While Denmark and Norway closed their borders, restaurants and ski slopes and told all students to stay home this month, Sweden shut only its high schools and colleges, kept its preschools, grade schools, pubs, restaurants and borders open — and put no limits on the slopes.

. . . The state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said in an interview that Sweden’s strategy is based on science and boiled down to this: “We are trying to slow the spread enough so that we can deal with the patients coming in.”

Sweden’s approach appeals to the public’s self-restraint and sense of responsibility, Mr. Tegnell said. “That’s the way we work in Sweden. Our whole system for communicable disease control is based on voluntary action. The immunization system is completely voluntary and there is 98 percent coverage,” he explained. 



Okay, this really sounds like the state epidemiologist is playing defense and has some wishful thinking. I'm assuming that by 98%, he means that the assumption is that 98% of the people will comply as they do with immunizations. Yet, the article later discusses how Sweden put restrictions on gatherings of 500 so venues restricted ticket sales to 499. On Friday, March 27th, they had to reduce the crowd limit to just 50.

The article also mentions that 52% of Swedes support these measure. Sure, that's over 50%, but there's a significant number that don't. Maybe it is because they see what is happening across the globe.

DW is obviously writing about the 48% of those not supporting the government's position:

Anders Tegnell, Sweden's top epidemiologist, has been under increasing pressure. On March 5, he said that the spread of the epidemic had probably reached its maximum. At the time, only 94 people were infected in the country, a figure that has since shot into the thousands.

To the utter consternation of many Swedes — including former Prime Minister Carl Bildt — Tegnell said in a TV interview on March 18 that it was safe for people who live in the same household as an infected person to continue going to work or to school.

Seriously, this person is really behind the 8 ball. In the end, he can only hope that Swedish hospitals don't get over-run in 3 or 4 weeks. Or maybe, actually towards the end of April . . . two weeks after Easter:

Some people have started taking the matter into their own hands. Ahead of the Easter school break in mid-April, when many Swedes usually crowd the ski slopes, resort operators have begun demanding stricter controls from health authorities, among them resorts in the popular Jamtland Harjedalen region.

According to a report by Sweden's SVT national broadcaster, hundreds of tourists were still partying in slopeside clubs this past weekend. But many restaurants and clubs in the ski towns of Are, Salen and Idre have already shut their doors. 

Yep, if the government doesn't take action, the people will. The above brief quote makes one think about Florida's beaches and Spring Break. One can only imagine what could happen during Easter break if further restrictions aren't implemented.

NPR writes this about what Tegnell's thinking is:

Tegnell does not rule out the need for additional future mandates to limit the spread of coronavirus in his country. He has suggested that neighboring countries' restrictions are often politically rather than scientifically driven. 

My gut tells me that when he states "scientifically driven," he means that results are analyzed first before coming to a decision. Yet, since this virus can spread so quickly, you can't always wait for the science to play out. My belief is that you have to jump ahead sometimes, like Dr. Fauci has argued.

Could this potentially work out for Sweden? BBC looks into the cultural behavior of Swedes:

More than half of all Swedish homes are, like [21-year-old Swede Cajsa Wiking’s], made up of one resident, the highest proportion in Europe, according to Eurostat figures. The most common age to move out from your parents’ place is between 18 and 19, compared to an EU average of 26.

Some experts believe that these living patterns might help stem the spread of coronavirus; in current hotspots for infections including Italy and Spain, it is – by contrast – much more common for large families to congregate under one roof.

. . . Other commentators have pointed out the way many Swedes already behave when they’re outside in public spaces: it’s the norm to avoid sitting close to others on public transport and unusual to strike up small talk with strangers in shops or cafes. 

Now this might help prevent the spread of the virus within family units, but let's go back to the start of this write-up where venues were selling 499 tickets to keep under the 500 limit and the parties going on at ski towns.

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