Sweden's corona strategy is considered to be a tricky separate path in the pandemic.
The king accuses his own country of failure.
A problem can be clearly identified.
Coronavirus pandemic
: The number of
new Covid 19 infections
is
still
high
in
Germany
and other countries
during the
corona crisis
.
Sweden is
choosing
a special way to
deal with the
corona pandemic
.
This is seen as an alternative to the widespread
lockdown
strategy.
The king is
now sharply
criticizing
his country's
Covid-19
crisis management
.
But a comparison refutes the allegations of
Carl XVI.
Gustaf
, who himself
belongs to
the
corona
risk
group at
the age of 74
.
Munich / Stockholm - The news brought some movement to the heated discussions about correct strategies in the
corona pandemic
in recent weeks
:
Sweden
recorded the highest November mortality since the Spanish flu in 1918.
Swedish special route in the corona pandemic: waiver of Covid-19 lockdowns and strict contact restrictions
Critics who are
skeptical of
the Swedish way of dealing with the
Covid 19 crisis
saw themselves confirmed.
The Scandinavian country with its 10.3 million inhabitants had so far largely
dispensed with
lockdowns
of social life and strict contact
restrictions in the pandemic
.
In April, most of the deaths were again due to infections with the
SARS-CoV-2 pathogen
.
And: In the first half of 2020,
Corona was
the third leading cause of death, as the country's highest social authority announced.
Swedish special route in the corona pandemic: Sharp criticism from King Carl XVI.
Gustaf
Furthermore,
the number of corona cases in December is also high
in
Sweden
.
King
Carl XVI.
Gustaf
recently made sharp accusations against his own country: "I think we have failed," said the monarch, Sweden's head of state.
Is he right?
What speaks against his thesis?
The
picture
(behind a payment barrier) has now dealt extensively with the Swedish special route - and
interviewed
the epidemiologist Jonas F. Ludvigsson from the
Karolinska Institute
near
Stockholm
.
In view of the debates about the correct Corona course, this is also a hot topic in Germany.
Sweden strategy against Corona wrong or right?
Findings and comparisons
According to the
picture
, 77.9
Swedes
per 100,000 people
died in November 2020
.
In November 2010, however, 79.2
Swedes
per 100,000 inhabitants died.
According to research by the award-winning
Swedish journalist Emanuel Karlsten
, there were also months with higher mortality rates -
during the corona pandemic and before
.
In April 2020, 101.1 people died per 100,000 population.
In December 2000 it was even 110.8.
Even in absolute numbers, the corona pandemic was nothing new for Sweden: In the period from December 1993 to January 1994, around 1,000 more people died than in the high corona phase in April and May 2020. Higher numbers are also true given the turn of the year 95/96 and 88/89.
At the same time, however, Karlsten warns against frivolous comparisons that span several decades.
The former
Swedish chief population statistician Åke Nilsson,
for example, pointed out in an interview with the journalist that the average monthly mortality had steadily decreased - for example due to medical advances and a change towards a healthier lifestyle.
According to the
Bild
report
,
many more people are
tested
for
Corona
in
Sweden
around
Christmas
than in
Germany
.
That's why the number of infections is comparatively higher, the report says.
According to Karlsten's research, the
circumstances surrounding the pandemic
also provide an additional factor of complexity
: In Sweden, for example, due to a mild winter of 19/20 with few deaths, a larger number of deaths from corona infections could have followed - at an unusual time in spring.
The
increasing age of many residents
could also have
favored high death rates - compared to previous waves of infection.
At the same time, the
reaction to the pandemic
that
took place in Sweden is likely to
have lowered the death rate, argues Karlsten - which would indicate a comparatively large impact of the pandemic.
This includes a large-scale campaign on
hygiene measures
that may have reduced infection with other diseases, but also possibly
lower numbers of deaths from traffic accidents
or stress-induced health problems.
Karlsten also mentions the “crisis mode” of the clinics as a means of reducing the number of deaths: “If Sweden hadn't decided to do so, the number of deaths would probably have been higher”, it is important “not to overload the health system”, he emphasizes.
In an interview with
Bild
, Professor Ludvigsson explains that
herd immunity to the coronavirus was
never a declared goal
in
Sweden
.
State epidemiologist
Anders Tegnell
stressed the same
again and again.
According to Ludvigsson, the stated goal was
to protect
Covid-19 risk groups
and the elderly from infection with the
SARS-CoV-2 pathogen
.
Ludvigsson continued: "Like many other countries, we have failed to protect some of the elderly."
According to various reports,
elderly people with previous illnesses are among the fatalities
in
Sweden
too
.
As
reported,
for example, by
rbb24.de
,
90 percent of the corona deaths were over 70 years old in
mid-May
.
Many corona deaths in old people's homes
: The Swedish health authority did not know "how badly organized, how poorly in resources and under what bad working conditions" work was done in old people's homes and in home care, said the Swedish political scientist Lisa Pelling after an investigation for the Scandinavian Think tank
Arena Idé
.
Sweden in the coronavirus pandemic: protection of Covid-19 risk groups has failed
The results can be summarized as follows, as of
Christmas
2020:
1.
Herd immunity
against
Corona
was never the stated goal in
Sweden
.
2. In the spring, a comparatively large number of people died of and with
Covid-19
because the old people's homes and care services were
completely overwhelmed
with the protection of the
corona risk groups
due to a lack of suitable protective clothing.
3.
Sweden
was evidently unable to
adequately protect the
elderly and
corona risk groups
.
4. Theses about the
highest mortality in 100 years should
be questioned critically.
On the one hand, depending on the choice of statistical parameters, other time periods show higher relative and absolute mortality rates - on the other hand, such comparisons also have to take into account changed social framework conditions.
5. Answers to whether the Swedish special route against
Corona was
good or even correct will only be provided by the future - in the best case.
(
pm / fn
)