Gonzalo Sánchez
05/11/2020 - 11:03
- Clarín.com
- Society
The controversy over the comparison between Sweden and Argentina and the way to approach the fight against the coronavirus continues to speak. Brief chronology: Alberto Fernández gave last Friday the Scandinavian country as an example of what not to do, reviewed his statistics and was critical. His sayings had a global impact. This Monday, the Swedish Embassy in Argentina released a clarifying statement about the scenario they face in that country. "During the last days the Swedish Embassy has noted interest in the way in which Sweden is fighting the new coronavirus. That is why we accompany below an explanatory text about it," the statement begins.
It continues: "The objective of Sweden's containment measures for the coronavirus outbreak is the same as in other countries - to save lives and protect public health. We face the same challenges and make use of instruments similar to other countries - we promote the social distancing, we protect vulnerable groups and those at risk, we carry out tests and we strengthen our health system. The objective is to flatten the contagion curve and prevent the health system from becoming overloaded. "
The text explains that the measures taken in Sweden consist of a combination of health legislation and recommendations. "The Swedish government," he says, "has imposed the closing of borders, suspension of classes in secondary schools, prohibition of visits to nursing homes and events of more than 50 people. We urge that people with symptoms of Covid-19 do not go to work, which is possible through extended health insurance. "
Then he goes straight to the issue that raised the most questions and that gave the so-called "Swedish case" global popularity. "Sweden's measures differ from other countries in only three respects: we have not imposed social, preventive and compulsory isolation, we have not imposed the cessation of commercial activity on some companies and we have not closed kindergartens or primary schools."
But he clarifies that life in Sweden does not continue as usual and that the Swedish economy was strongly affected by the pandemic. "A dramatic rise in unemployment is expected," says the text.
According to the official statement, an important part of Sweden's preventive measures is to provide citizens with reliable information to help them take responsibility for their own health. The basis for this is the mutual trust between state authorities and citizens that has been built over time. As an example, the administration of vaccines from the Swedish children's calendar is optional and has achieved a vaccination coverage of 97% among children in Sweden.
"The decision to keep sectors of society open," he explains, "is based on public health considerations rather than economic interests. Keeping schools open has, for example, positive effects on children's health and allowing people to work is positive for public health. These measures also strengthen gender equality . "
And finally he points to the sayings of the Argentine president: "In this situation, it is difficult to make direct comparisons between the containment measures adopted by different countries. Sweden has higher Covid-19 mortality rates than some other countries that have imposed the quarantine, and lower than others who have also imposed quarantine. "
"This is a new disease and it will be time before we know which models work best. In Sweden we are learning, for example, that there is a need to protect nursing homes more effectively. We are always open to dialogue with other countries so that we can learn from each other, "he concludes.
