Posted on 06/08/2020 2:16:22 AM PDT by Morpheus2009
Sweden captured attention for its relaxed approach to containing the spread of COVID-19 this year.
Social distancing was encouraged, but shops and restaurants stayed open, those younger than 16 continued to go to school and borders stayed open to European visitors.
That helped the economy continue to grow in the first quarter, unlike many other nations. But, with some data showing Sweden had the highest per capita death rate in the world last week, the architect of the country’s strategy says it might have been a mistake.
Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said there is “potential for improvement” in the government’s no-lockdown strategy, suggesting a more effective policy might have been somewhere between what Sweden opted for and the strict restrictions other nations imposed.
Tegnell’s comments are an about-face: For months, he’s insisted his nation’s approach was more sustainable.
It has so far prevented the country from suffering the kind of deep economic blow other nation’s felt — Sweden’s economy grew 0.4% in the first quarter from a year ago, while the eurozone (which Sweden is not part of) contracted more than 3%.
Still, Robert Bergqvist, chief economist at SEB, says Sweden’s economic trajectory can be impacted by a number of factors.
“Exit policies in other countries in Europe — we are very dependent on exports. It also depends on recovery strategy,” Bergqvist said.
He said despite Tegnell’s comments, prospects of a lockdown now in Sweden are uncertain, and though public finances are strong, new restrictions would come with a price tag the country likely couldn’t afford.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketplace.org ...
Another incomplete, force fit the narrative story. Of course no mention of the ancillary deaths caused by lockdowns that Sweden did not experience. When a realistic look at total flu/lockdown deaths is taken Sweden will have the best numbers in Europe. Sweden absolutely did the right thing. Another great result of Sweden’s response, they don’t have to listen to the endless whining about some BS second wave.
This has all been politicized.
It is easy to say doing things differently would have resulted in loss of fewer lives because there is no way to prove it.
Sweden’s per capita death rate is still less than Belgium, UK, Spain, and Italy.
And they didn’t destroy their economy.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
-- it's not that simple. Sweden had a soft lockdown and culturally it was already on lockdown far, far more than the huggy-touchy italians or (to a lesser extent Belgians). And to make things worse - Belgium and northern Italy (where the hit was the most) are far more densely populated.
Belgium has a population density of 973 people/sq mile. Northern Italy around milan has the same, while Italy as a whole has 518 while Sweden has 59 people/sq mile -- that's 1/10th that of Italy as a whole and 1/20th nearly of Belgium or northern Italy.
The soft lockdown in Sweden ended up with 462 dead/million -- in comparison Norway-Denmark excluding Greenland has about 80 dead/million -- 1/5th LESS
This is pretty conclusive for now that at least in this first wave, the quarantines followed by Denmark and Norway (strict lockdown) worked. Wait until 2022 to have a final answer though.
You got that right!
We should by 2021 have a vacine.
Sweden has a 463/million while both Italy and Spain are over 560/million.
The media distorts the numbers by cherry picking a specific week, and then wording the story to make it appear that Sweden has a higher death rate, when it clearly does not.
Aggregated deaths from COVID-19 in these 40 states and the District of Columbia have reached new highs for all groups:If they had died of COVID-19 at the same rate as White Americans, about 13,000 Black Americans, 1,300 Latino Americans and 300 Asian Americans would still be alive.
- 1 in 1,850 Black Americans has died (or 54.6 deaths per 100,000)
- 1 in 4,000 Latino Americans has died (or 24.9 deaths per 100,000)
- 1 in 4,200 Asian Americans has died (or 24.3 deaths per 100,000)
- 1 in 4,400 White Americans has died (or 22.7 deaths per 100,000)
Age is probably well over 77 and those with diabetes, obesity etc.
How do we get from
Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell apologizing
TO
“Sweden Apologizing”?
I think this remains a sensible trade off that most Swedes still support, especially as they can now see how lockdown cabin fever can contribute to the mess that we now face, with many of our cities burning.
As do I. Sadly, the whole impact of the Wuhan Virus pushed them over the edge of dispair into the abyss!
Good thing economic collapse doesn’t starve anyone.
112000 dead Americans appreciate your concern.
“Of course no mention of the ancillary deaths caused by lockdowns that Sweden did not experience. When a realistic look at total flu/lockdown deaths is taken Sweden will have the best numbers in Europe. “
Which ancillary deaths are you referring to?
Divide 112,000 by 330 million and tell me what that result is.
Well, guess if the have to be lost, the unnecessary ones will be missed the least...
Exactly. You don’t ever know about what would happen by “doing nothing” because that condition is never met. But what is true is that a majority of all people who got really sick with COVID-19 were mostly confined indoors for weeks on end.
Sweden is perhaps the least well-researched, most nuanced, and most politicized nation in terms of how they handed this pandemic. One of the important elements is that in Sweden, mandates like lockdown etc aren't the domain of the govt but of people like Anders Tegnell: The Swedish constitution prohibits ministerial rule and mandates that the relevant government body, in this case an expert agency – the Public Health Agency – must initiate all actions to prevent the virus in accordance with Swedish law, rendering state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell a central figure in the crisis. The government usually follows agency advice – politicians overruling the advice from its agencies is extremely unusual in Sweden.
Sweden did what they did because a) the "experts" thought this "soft lockdown" worked best for Swedish citizens and its culture, and b) Swedish citizens tend to dutifully follow the direction of "science" (notice how they tend to be greenies and gave us St Greta).
net-net-net, Sweden has seen high numbers of fatalities especially amongst its elderly in proportion to the population, so high that it is in line with NY State (88.5% of Sweden's COVID19 fatalities were of people 70+ while they made up only 12.5% of all SE citizens; in Cuomo-land, these respective percentages are 65.6% and 9.4%). It's economy, which is export-dependent, is sucking wind with its trading partners. But they enjoyed freedom of movement and they didn't have massive protests. Further, Dr Tagnell isn't apologizing or doing an about face - he has repeatedly said they should have done a better job on the elderly but he stands by their "Swedish" approach. To wit: they told Swedes to do this or that, and they followed suit while in America we had vigorous debate about wearing a mask. Sweden is not America and we are not Sweden (thank the Lord).
Sweden should not be some conservative slobberfest nor should it be written off as a bad experiment. Their risk-based soft lockdown (keep schools open, work remotely where you can, avoid crowds of 50+, don't travel, have people 70+ shelter in place) wasn't outlandish. It didn't save their economy (not that that was a goal) and herd immunity is a ways off (though that wasn't a goal either). They built a "sustainable" approach in line with their zeitgeist.
But the same slavish obedience to "science" will mean that if Dr Tegnell is fired or if he steps down because of a changing zeitgeist, and someone like Fauci gets in, they're screwed. At least in America you can move to a better state and open carry protest in Michigan. I always liked McEnroe over Borg.
Belgium I don't know
Belgium's economy is still on track compared to Sweden is about the same level of decline
Very possible. However even now we know better what can lessen the death chances etc.
“We DO NOT want to encourage another shut down like this ever again, unless there actually is a disease where the numbers really are 5-10%, or higher.”
Once every hundred years, max. We’re good for the rest of the century.
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