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HEALTH-VIRUS-SWEDEN
Sweden nears ‘horrifying’ 3,000 deaths from coronavirus
STOCKHOLM, May 6, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Swedish officials on Wednesday said the
country, which has taken a softer approach to curbing the spread of the new
coronavirus, was nearing 3,000 deaths from COVID-19.
The country’s Public Health Agency reported that a total of 23,918 cases
had been confirmed and 2,941 deaths had been recorded, an increase of 87
deaths from the day before.
“We are starting to near 3,000 deceased, a horrifyingly large number,”
state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told a press conference.
Sweden has not imposed the kind of extraordinary lockdowns seen elsewhere
in Europe, instead opting for an approach based on the “principle of
responsibility”.
The Scandinavian country has allowed schools for under-16s, cafes, bars,
restaurants and businesses to stay open while urging people and businesses to
respect social distancing guidelines.
The Swedish approach has received criticism both domestically and
internationally as its death toll has leapt much higher than its Nordic
neighbours, which have all instituted more restrictive containment measures.
Sweden’s virus death rate of 291 per million inhabitants is far higher
than Norway’s death rate of 40 per million, Denmark’s rate of 87, or
Finland’s rate of 45.
In the United States, which has suffered the most coronavirus deaths, the
toll per million inhabitants is lower than Sweden’s at 219.
Swedish officials have nonetheless insisted their plan is sustainable in
the long-term, rejecting drastic short-term measures as too ineffective to
justify their impact on society.
On Tuesday, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency published a survey
showing that most Swedes had changed their behaviour and were sticking to
those changes, “and in some areas people are even reporting an increase in
changed behaviour”.
“Almost nine in ten respondents (87 percent) state that they are keeping a
greater distance from other people in shops, restaurants and on public
transport this week, compared with 72 percent last week,” the agency said in
a statement.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2030hrs