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Sweden stayed open. A deadly month shows the risks.
New York Times via San Francisco Chronicle / sfgate.com ^ | 1:13 pm PDT, Saturday, May 16, 2020 | Lauren Leatherby and Allison McCann, New York Times

Posted on 05/17/2020 2:55:50 PM PDT by thecodont

By late March, nearly every country in Europe had closed schools and businesses, restricted travel and ordered citizens to stay home. But one country stood out for its decision to stay open: Sweden.

The country’s moderated response to the coronavirus outbreak has drawn praise from some U.S. politicians, who see Sweden as a possible model for the United States as it begins to reopen.

“We need to observe with an open mind what went on in Sweden, where the kids kept going to school,” Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, said at a hearing Tuesday.

But while Sweden has avoided the devastating tolls of outbreaks in Italy, Spain and Britain, it also has seen an extraordinary increase in deaths, mortality data show.

In Stockholm, where the virus spread through migrant communities, more than twice the usual number of people died last month. That increase far surpasses the rise in deaths in U.S. cities like Boston and Chicago, and approaches the increase seen in Paris.

[...]

Swedish public health officials have defended their strategy, while acknowledging that the country has failed to protect the elderly. The goal is to limit the spread of the infection without having to lock everything down, they said.

“Once you get into a lockdown, it’s difficult to get out of it,” said Sweden’s state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell. “How do you reopen? When?”

Instead of imposing strict lockdowns, public health officials said that Swedes could be relied on to go out less and follow sanitation guidelines. That proved to be true: As a whole, Swedes visited restaurants, retail shops and other recreation spots almost as little as residents of neighboring countries, according to Google mobility figures.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: coronavirus; covid19; dontpostthisinnews; fakenews; newyorkslimes; notnews; publichealth; scandanavia; sweden
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To: O6ret

Much of that had to do with sanitation methods, since the virus is spread fecal-oral, I am not surprised.


81 posted on 05/17/2020 5:40:06 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood (https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3804407/posts?q=1&;page=61)
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To: IrishBrigade

You are not a mind reader so give it up.


82 posted on 05/17/2020 5:45:19 PM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: FreedomNotSafety

“More deaths now less deaths later.”

We don’t know what later will bring because we aren’t there yet.


83 posted on 05/17/2020 5:46:39 PM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: SmokingJoe

“What is this “we” you are talking about?
Why don’t you compare Sweden to NY NJ or Michigan who are doing far worse than Sweden?”

The USA, that should be easy.

Why don’t you compare Sweden to Montana or Wyoming who are doing far better than Sweden?


84 posted on 05/17/2020 5:49:27 PM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: Freedom_Is_Not_Free

Yeah, a co workers son just had a antibody test that showed he had covid. He was sick in in January. They have no idea how he got it.


85 posted on 05/17/2020 5:53:39 PM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: dynoman

Re: “Right now Sweden is running 100 more deaths per million than we are.”

Sounds impressive, but their death toll is just 36% higher than the USA.

Also, 95% of their population lives within an area that is smaller than New York state.

And, every major Swedish city is connected to every other major city by an excellent rail system.

The death toll in New York state, by the way, is almost 8 times higher than Sweden.


86 posted on 05/17/2020 6:02:07 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: dynoman

And, the Swedes are a lot closer to here immunity than we are.


87 posted on 05/17/2020 6:17:33 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: Tallguy

Very sorry to hear of your loss.


88 posted on 05/17/2020 6:23:42 PM PDT by Concentrate (ex-texan was right and Always Right was wrong, which is why we lost the election.)
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To: zeestephen

“And, every major Swedish city is connected to every other major city by an excellent rail system.

The death toll in New York state, by the way, is almost 8 times higher than Sweden.”

They must actually clean their trains in Sweden.

In New York, they just begrudgingly swish around filthy mops.


89 posted on 05/17/2020 6:32:57 PM PDT by Concentrate (ex-texan was right and Always Right was wrong, which is why we lost the election.)
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To: Hot Tabasco

I took the vaccine. Like most of we have no immunity otherwise.


90 posted on 05/17/2020 6:41:30 PM PDT by Swirl
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To: dynoman

The more actual data I see, the more it looks like, despite being mocked here relentlessly, the ‘flubros’ were absolutely correct.


91 posted on 05/17/2020 6:44:14 PM PDT by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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To: Concentrate

Re: They must actually clean their trains in Sweden.

They do.

My local PBS channel actually runs a film series about train trips in Sweden and Norway!


92 posted on 05/17/2020 6:49:40 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Lizavetta

Thats a bad thing because.....?


93 posted on 05/17/2020 7:01:07 PM PDT by madrastex
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To: thecodont

TWO authors


94 posted on 05/17/2020 7:20:30 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: dynoman

“Right now Sweden is running 100 more deaths per million than we are.”


And for that reason I’ve stated the reality that the U.S. should be prepared for 150K deaths when all is said & done. Perhaps more, mostly as a result of the lousy state of health of the elderly in this country.

Senior care facilities are big business in the U.S.

Unfortunately, I do not define what I have witnessed in some of them as “living” (just “alive”).


95 posted on 05/17/2020 8:41:37 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: O6ret

LOL. Good catch!


96 posted on 05/17/2020 8:43:59 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: Tallguy

Sorry to hear about your mother.

My mother and father are in an assisted living/memory care unit (Dad in memory care, Mom in assisted living). There have been two positives in the memory care unit, both dead as of last week - about 2 weeks from diagnosis to death.

Now there is another case, we think it is in the assisted living portion.

At any rate, Mom has COPD and Dad has heart issues, but he is on anticoagulants, so that may help him.

It’s been 8 plus weeks since I have been able to see them.

The thought of them dying and not having been able to see them, plus not being able to have a proper funeral is almost too much to bear mentally - it leads to many angry thoughts.

I can only imagine what you are going through and I have the grim expectation that I may have to face the same reality sooner than later.

Again, I am very sorry for your loss.

Having said all of that - I believe what happened to your mother was totally preventable if we as a nation did the right thing with regard to protecting the vulnerable.

What is going on in the world and here (a supposedly free country) is just stupid, there is honestly no other way to put it. We are being stupid allowing this to happen to us - we could’ve been so much more intelligent about it, but we let ourselves be ruled by fear and allowed the ruling class to run roughshod over common sense. Those of us who were preaching common sense approaches and true science-based ideologies were shouted down, silenced and chastised or threatened with loss of liberty, but we did not fight back soon enough, or strongly enough.


97 posted on 05/18/2020 5:13:38 AM PDT by jurroppi1 (The Left doesn't have ideas, it has cliches. H/T Flick Lives)
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To: SamAdams76

Sweden is in 6th place in deaths per million population, getting closer to 5th place France every day. (I’m ignoring micro states like Andorra, Sint Maarten)


98 posted on 05/18/2020 5:23:23 AM PDT by brookwood (Obama said you could keep your plan - Sanders says higher taxes will improve the weather)
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To: Yo-Yo

“Sweden’s death rate per 100,000 is slightly higher than nearby Finland and Norway, “
You think 366 deaths per million is “slightly higher” than 54 or 43 deaths per million? I’m glad I don’t rely on this thread for information.

Denmark Deaths per Million 95
Finland Deaths per Million 54
Norway Deaths per Million 43
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/


99 posted on 05/18/2020 5:31:07 AM PDT by brookwood (Obama said you could keep your plan - Sanders says higher taxes will improve the weather)
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To: ifinnegan

Culling out members of the migrant community will be a bonus for the Swedes.


100 posted on 05/18/2020 5:40:09 AM PDT by nhbob1
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