"During the months of March to early June, all shops were practically empty, people stopped dining with friends, and families stopped seeing even their closest relatives," Furberg told MedPage Today. "A lock-down could not have been more effective. Handwashing, excessive use of hand sanitizers, and staying home at the first sign of a cold became the new normal very quickly."
So Sweden was in effect largely in lockdown mode, even though there wasn't an official government order to lockdown.
"...While Sweden didn't officially lock down, many in the country have described a locked-down "feeling" that has eased in the summer months."
"At the start of the outbreak, only high schools and universities closed; daycare and elementary schools have been open. Businesses have also remained open, but typically at reduced hours, and restaurants have functioned at reduced capacity.Swedes have been asked to keep their distance in public, refrain from non-essential travel, and work from home when possible. Gatherings of more than 50 people are also banned. People age 70 and over are advised to stay away from others as much as possible."
If Sweden had worn masks their death count wouldn't have been so high. As it played out they have had way more deaths than their Nordic neighbors who also have had a low incidence of mask wearing yet far fewer deaths.
Instead of recommending mask wearing Sweden recommended elderly people isolate themselves, people work from home, social distance, etc. And they did. Sweden did not treat C-19 like "just another flu". If they had their hospitals may have been overwhelmed resulting in more deaths from being unable to treat non C-19 emergency cases.
"...the stated goal of the Swedish authorities was always not to minimize the epidemic but rather slow it down, so that the health care system wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
...on a per-capita basis, Sweden far outpaces its Scandinavian neighbors in COVID deaths, with 567 deaths per million people compared with Denmark's 106 deaths per million, Finland's 59 deaths per million, and Norway's 47 deaths per million. The Swedish figure is closer to Italy's 581 deaths per million.
...others have criticized the approach, including two dozen Swedish academics who published a recent USA Today editorial.
"In Sweden, the strategy has led to death, grief, and suffering," they wrote. "On top of that, there are no indications that the Swedish economy has fared better than in many other countries. At the moment, we have set an example for the rest of the world on how not to deal with a deadly infectious disease."
...Tegnell told reporters last week he thought the recent trends indicated that immunity was now widespread in the country. But with rates of antibody positivity around 10%, that seems impossible.
...Spurkland said it's still "too early yet to conclude whether the Swedish approach was the wisest over all," as it remains to be seen whether Norway and other countries that did lock down will avoid a second wave of infections in the fall.
Yet she cautions that choosing to take on a higher case load may have health consequences far beyond the immediate infection.
"What we have learned these months is that COVID-19 is not only about death, it is also about ill health," Spurkland said. "Quite a number of people going through the infection have long-term symptoms, that may be stopping them from resuming their daily life. We do not know yet how large a proportion of those who get the virus will fall into this category, but it is certainly a concern.
...Sweden has a death toll greater than the United States: 564 deaths per million inhabitants compared with 444, as of July 27.
Sweden also has a death toll nearly five times greater than that of the other four Nordic countries combined — more than twice per million inhabitants. For a number of weeks, Sweden has been among the top in the world when it comes to reported deaths per capita.
...perhaps an unwillingness to admit early mistakes and take responsibility for thousands of unnecessary deaths plays into this resistance to change...
We do believe that Sweden can be used as a model, but not in the way it was thought of initially. It can instead serve as a control group and answer the question of how efficient the voluntary distancing and loose measures in Sweden are compared with lockdowns, aggressive testing, tracing and the use of masks.
In Sweden, the strategy has led to death, grief and suffering. On top of that, there are no indications that the Swedish economy has fared better than in many other countries. At the moment, we have set an example for the rest of the world on how not to deal with a deadly infectious disease.
In the end, this too shall pass and life will eventually return to normal. New medical treatments will come and improve the prognosis. Hopefully, there will be a vaccine. Stick it out until then. And don’t do it the Swedish way."
Sweden's GDP growth last quarter, and their rates of infections have now been dropping dramatically. Nearly no new deaths in Sweden, despite never locking down. The expectation is that herd immunity is only needed to be at 20-30% instead of the expected 60-70% as lots of people who have had...
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