March 28, 2024

Sweden Response to COVID-19, “No Cow on the Ice”

Unfortunately, Sweden has been titled as a country with the world’s highest death rate from Covid-19. That was a due result of peculiar and unexpected steps taken by the Swedish officials. They decided on not executing nationwide lockdown even after advice from health experts. Sweden was kept open during the pandemic and now they’re paying for it.

Now the total no of deaths per capita in the country is more than four times that of its neighboring countries. The death toll has risen with more cases of Covid-19 infection in Sweden. It reveals the consequential effect of Sweden’s no lockdown approach to coronavirus.

The average rate of every new confirmed COVID death per million people has become twice that of the US. It is somewhere five times of France, the country that saw the highest rate of COVID deaths in April. France executed a planned lockdown in the country to contain the deadly outbreak of COVID-19.

Spain and Italy had to impose a nationwide lockdown, and it came with impressive results. This lockdown strategy has proven as an effective measure to fight against COVID-19. As a result, most of the countries have experienced a drastic drop in death rates.

Countries like New Zealand pre-empted that deadly outbreak with a coordinated early lockdown strategy and eliminated the coronavirus. Though Sweden slowed the spread of the virus through social distancing and containment measures, still no sign of a fall in infection rate.

In a comprehended comparison between Sweden and other Nordic countries, the situation of the country’s COVID crisis looks more pronounced.

Sweden’s hope for “herd immunity” against COVID-19

Sweden is continuing with the hope of achieving herd immunity, while experts are claiming that at least 60% of the total population needs to have Covid-19 antibodies before reaching herd immunity.

Anders Tegnell, the Swedish epidemiologist, told UK-based daily that Sweden expects 40 percent of the total people in the country’s capital to be immune to COVID-19 by the end of May.

“In the autumn there will be a second wave. Sweden will have a high level of immunity and the number of cases will probably be quite low, I don’t think we or any country in the world will reach herd immunity in the sense that the disease goes away, because I don’t think this is a disease that goes away,” Tagnell further added in the interview.

Though the Swedish government hoped for nearly 20% immunity by the end of May, still only 7.3 % have got it. Yet, no lockdown in place, Sweden is to fetch more rationalized and protective measures.

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