Sweden's liberal pandemic strategy questioned as Stockholm death toll mounts

[dann]

Friday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Oct. 9, 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 583 (5,894) 919* 26** *according to SVT.se, ** according to SVT.se
Denmark: 115 (665) 482 18
Finland: 62 (346) 235 5
Norway: 51 (275) +73* 3 *+ because Norway’s numbers are reported to Worldometers more than once a day and may still rise.
Iceland: 29 (10) 106 3
Iceland has 915 active cases, Faroe Islands 18, New Zealand 41.
The Faroe Islands have 112 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized.

The daily number of positive Covid tests over the past week has been as follows: 1, 1, 1, 0, 1. 1 and 0.
One new Covid case in the past two days (KVF.fo, Oct. 9, 2020)

 

[Rolfe]

I was listening to the radio while I was doing the ironing this afternoon, and a musician who was being interviewed said he'd just cancelled a booking in Stockholm because the audience was legally limited to 50 people there and it wasn't worth his while getting on the plane for that.

So I don't think Sweden is simply letting it all hang out any more.

 

[EHocking]

Clutch Cargo has his tongue firmly in his cheek, right?

Easier to do if you’re head is up your arse.

 

[PhantomWolf]

Where do you see that?
The number of new cases since yesterday is

And yesterday it was:

Weird, Worldometers is giving me totally different numbers from their main table..

Country|Total Cases|New Cases|Total Deaths|New Deaths|Serious Critical|Total Cases Per 1M Pop|Deaths per 1M Pop
Sweden|98,451|+657|5,889|0|25|9,732|582

 

[dann]

That is why I switched to SVT.se for the number of new cases. They get their numbers from Sweden's Public Health Agency. Worldometers' number of total cases is the same as the one on SVT.se, 98,451, however.

 

[Clutch Cargo]

LATEST UPDATE. according to WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),
Data last updated:*2020/10/9, 3:36pm CEST

Newly reported cases in the last 24 hours:

U.S. 52,458
Australia 24
Sweden 0
Denmark 446
New Zealand 2

People are very interesting. There are 3 major categories of them:
1). Those who distrust statistics.
2). Those who believe the statistics.
3). Those who choose the statistics when they are in agreement and reject those that are not.

The WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) statistics that I have faithfully (and accurately) quoted today show an interesting trend. It shows Australia and the U.S. dropping in cases, New Zealand fluctuating at very small numbers, Sweden at a constant zero, but Denmark increasing in cases rapidly. That is very odd as Denmark has introduced even more stringent measure that it had before.

 

[dann]

I was listening to the radio while I was doing the ironing this afternoon, and a musician who was being interviewed said he'd just cancelled a booking in Stockholm because the audience was legally limited to 50 people there and it wasn't worth his while getting on the plane for that.

So I don't think Sweden is simply letting it all hang out any more.

See post 2410.

 

[Clutch Cargo]

I was listening to the radio while I was doing the ironing this afternoon, and a musician who was being interviewed said he'd just cancelled a booking in Stockholm because the audience was legally limited to 50 people there and it wasn't worth his while getting on the plane for that.

So I don't think Sweden is simply letting it all hang out any more.

Sweden has NEVER "let it all hang out". It's only the propaganda that wants you to think so.

 

[dann]

People are very interesting. There are 3 major categories of them:
1). Those who distrust statistics.
2). Those who believe the statistics.
3). Those who choose the statistics when they are in agreement and reject those that are not.

CC forgot his own category: those who deliberately lie about the statistics and present statistics that they know to be wrong: "Sweden at a constant zero"

The WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) statistics that I have faithfully (and accurately) quoted today show an interesting trend. It shows Australia and the U.S. dropping in cases, New Zealand fluctuating at very small numbers, Sweden at a constant zero, but Denmark increasing in cases rapidly. That is very odd as Denmark has introduced even more stringent measure that it had before.

Nobody but CC would think or claim that the number of cases changing from one day to the next would "show an interesting trend." But when the only way to make Sweden's numbers look good is to make up lies about them, it is what he resorts to: outright lies.

 

[dann]

Sweden has NEVER "let it all hang out". It's only the propaganda that wants you to think so.

Are you reading this, Tippit?
It's important because for once CC is telling the truth. It is only propaganda if anybody claims that Sweden doesn't restrict people's right to protest, for instance. If more than 50 Swedes get together outdoors to protest against racism and police brutality, the police will be there to scatter them:
Polis upplöser Black lives matter-protest i Stockholm (SvenskaDagbladet.se, June 13, 2020)
Police dissolve Black Lives Mater protest in Stockholm

This is very different from the approach in some of the tyrannical nations with their draconian measures where a BLM demonstration with more than 15,000 participants is not a problem:
Flere end 15.000 deltog i dansk Black Lives Matter-demonstration (TV2.dk, June 7, 2020)
More than 15,000 participated in Black Lives Matter demonstration

So it's true, Rolfe: Sweden has NEVER "let it all hang out".

 

[zooterkin]

I was listening to the radio while I was doing the ironing this afternoon, and a musician who was being interviewed said he'd just cancelled a booking in Stockholm because the audience was legally limited to 50 people there and it wasn't worth his while getting on the plane for that.

So I don't think Sweden is simply letting it all hang out any more.

Any more? They’ve had that restriction since March.

http://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/...sweden/communicable-disease-control/covid-19/

As of 29 March, the Swedish Government has decided to ban all public gatherings and events with more than 50 people. The aim with this legislation is to prevent situations where large numbers of people from different parts of the country come together in the same place.

 

[Clutch Cargo]

LATEST UPDATE. according to WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),
Data last updated: 2020/10/9, 3:40pm CES

Newly reported cases in the last 24 hours:

U.S. 524,232
Australia 23
Sweden 919
Denmark 482
New Zealand 4

No "elimination" to be seen. Maybe that fairy tale has been put back in line with the true definiton of the word "elimination" and we won't hear any more of that silliness.

The biggest losers today are Denmark and Sweden but they do reflect their per capita population, that is to say half the population = half the numbers of newly infected. That’s a very interesting fact because Denmark has imposed strict rules while Sweden is notoriously lacking in rules. In fact, considering the percentages in both countries Denmark is really making a mockery of their own protective measures. They're doing something wrong that's for sure!

 

[banquetbear]

LATEST UPDATE.
No "elimination" to be seen. Maybe that fairy tale has been put back in line with the true definiton of the word "elimination" and we won't hear any more of that silliness.

...LATEST UPDATE.

A near capacity crowd at Sky Stadium in Wellington for the All Blacks vs Australia game today. Thanks to the elimination strategy undertaken by the New Zealand government there is no social distancing and no requirement for masks as Wellingtonians pack the stadium to cheer on their local team.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/spo...disloe-clash-between-all-blacks-and-wallabies

Because New Zealand remains open for New Zealanders to return they registered four new cases at the borders, but once again there is no sign of any community spread. Despite cries of "silliness" from the peanut gallery the elimination strategy continues to work and keep New Zealanders safe. The true epidemiological definition of elimination remains unchanged.

 

[dann]

Denmark has imposed strict rules while Sweden is notoriously lacking in rules.

Sweden is not notoriously lacking in rules, only when the country wants to present itself as a beacon of freedom. Reality is, as always, different from CC's fairy tales, as I pointed out and documented in posts 2410 and 2420. The weather change in autumn has made it very apparent that Sweden doesn't have herd immunity, and the politicians and all sorts of experts are trying to keep up and issuing new rules and regulations and appeals to people to obey them.
From this morning:

Om vi helt slutar följa restriktionerna är risken stor att ytterligare minst 1000 personer dör i Sverige till följd av coronapandemin redan innan årsskiftet.
(…)
– Om vi skulle släppa helt på restriktionerna nu och börja leva som vi gjorde innan pandemin, då riskerar vi att få mellan 1000 och 2000 nya dödsfall innan året är slut.
Matematikerns prognos om coronarestriktionerna inte efterlevs (SVT.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

If we completely stop obeying the restrictions, there is a big risk that at least 1,000 more will die in Sweden this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
(...)
If we were to relax the restrictions entirely now and start to live the way we did before the pandemic, we risk having between 1,000 and 2,000 new deaths before the end of the year.
The mathematician’s prognosis if the corona restrictions are not obeyed

Right now, the media are particularly upset because politicians have been caught disobeying the rules and recommendations, most recently the leader of Sverigedemokraterna, a party usually described as "as right-wing populist, national-conservative, anti-immigration, or far-right" (Wiki), and in his case they got a lot of photos:
Jimmie Åkesson på barspelning: Upplevde ingen trängsel (Aftonbladet.se, Oct. 10, 2020)
Jimmie Åkesson at bar gig: Experienced no crowding

In fact, considering the percentages in both countries Denmark is really making a mockery of their own protective measures. They're doing something wrong that's for sure!

Yes, Denmark should be doing more - and two weeks sooner. As pointed out and documented in post 2412, the number of new cases has already dropped significantly in the Copenhagen area where the new restrictions were introduced one week earlier than in the rest of the country. Copenhagen also successfully targeted the segment of Pakistani immigrants with an information campaign, which also helped bring down the number of infections:

Stort fald i smitten blandt dansk-pakistanere i København (DR.dk, Oct. 10, 2020)
Large drop in the number of new infections among Danish-Pakistanis in Copenhagen
Not only has the number of infections in Copenhagen dropped in general. The percentage of those with a Pakistani background has gone down from 33 to 2,7.

But it would have been even better if pubs and schools had been locked down for a two-week period.

 

[dann]

Saturday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Oct. 10, 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 583 (5,894) 919* 26** *according to SVT.se, ** according to SVT.se No new numbers from Sweden till Tuesday.
Denmark: 115 (667) 444 20
Finland: 62 (346) 269 5
Norway: 51 (275) 78 3
Iceland: 29 (10) 87 3
Iceland has 984 active cases, Faroe Islands 16, New Zealand 44.
The Faroe Islands have 100 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized.

 

[dann]

– Många äldre har kanske isolerat sig ännu mer än man skulle behöva.
(…)
– ”Restriktioner” har en sådan negativ klang, men vi måste nog inrätta våra liv mer efter att skydda de äldre. Om detta blir via vaccin eller på annat sätt får vi se, säger han i Helgstudions intervju.
Tegnell: Jobbar hårt för att äldre ska kunna ha mer kontakt med nära och kära (SVT.se, Oct. 10, 2020)

– Many old people may have self-isolated more than necessary.
(…)
– ”Restrictions” sounds so negative, but we will probably have to adapt our lives more to protecting the elderly. If by means of a vaccine or in another way remains to be seen, he says in the interview with the Weekend edition.
Tegnell: Working hard for the elderly to be able to have more contact with their relatives and loved ones

The death toll shows that thousands of old people obviously didn't self-isolated more than necessary ...

 

[zooterkin]

LATEST UPDATE. according to WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),
Data last updated: 2020/10/9, 3:40pm CES

Newly reported cases in the last 24 hours:

U.S. 524,232
Australia 23
Sweden 919
Denmark 482
New Zealand 4

No "elimination" to be seen. Maybe that fairy tale has been put back in line with the true definiton of the word "elimination" and we won't hear any more of that silliness.

The biggest losers today are Denmark and Sweden but they do reflect their per capita population, that is to say half the population = half the numbers of newly infected. That’s a very interesting fact because Denmark has imposed strict rules while Sweden is notoriously lacking in rules. In fact, considering the percentages in both countries Denmark is really making a mockery of their own protective measures. They're doing something wrong that's for sure!

You’ve got more front than Blackpool, saying that immediately after a post where I linked to the rules in force in Sweden.

 

[dann]

Sunday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Oct. 11, 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 583 (5,894) 919* 26** *according to SVT.se, ** according to SVT.se No new numbers from Sweden till Tuesday.
Denmark: 115 (669) 340* 19 *but based on fewer fewer tests results (TV2.dk, Oct. 11, 2020 – 14:02) than the last couple of days.
Finland: 62 (346) 149 5
Norway: 51 (275) +40* 3 *+ because Norway’s numbers are reported to Worldometers more than once a day.
Iceland: 29 (10) 66 3
Iceland has 1,017 active cases, Faroe Islands 16, New Zealand 45.
The Faroe Islands have 100 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized. They appear to have had no new cases for a couple of days, so they may have eliminated it again a second time just like New Zeland.
Iceland is still struggling with its outbreak. There is news about the outbreak in Ischgl, which became the epicenter for the spread of the virus to both Iceland and Denmark:

Ischgl – Alpernas Ibiza – blev ett centrum för spridningen av coronaviruset över Europa i våras. Mer än 6.000 turister från 45 länder uppger att de blev smittade.
Nu visar dokument, som nyhetsbyrån AFP tagit del av, att myndigheterna försökte dölja virusutbrottet – för att rädda ryktet om den populära skidorten.
Åklagarmyndigheten i Tyrolen har inlett en utredning om händelserna.
Dokument avslöjar hur Ischgl hemlighöll virusutbrottet (DagensNyheter.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

Ischgl – the Ibiza of the Alps – became the epicenter of the spread of the coronavirus all over Europe this spring. More than 6,000 tourists from 45 countries report that they were infected.
Now a document that AFP has seen shows that the authorities tried to hide the virus outbreak – to save the image of the popular skiing resort.
The district attorney of Tyrol has started an investigation into what happened.
Document reveals how Ischgl kept the virus outbreak a secret

An article in English describes how the local authorities in Ischgl, Austria, deliberately downplayed the warnings they received from Icelandic health authorities: Document suggests virus was downplayed at Austrian resort (France24, Oct 9, 2020)

 

[dann]

Since this thread almost from the beginning became the thread for the discussion of different pandemic responses, i.e. 1) herd immunity, 2) The Hammer & The Dance, and 3) Elimination, I recommend this 3-minute video:

Dr. Chris Murray, Director at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, explains why it's dangerous to try for herd immunity from coronavirus as the pandemic rages on.
Data scientist explains dangers of trying for herd immunity (CNN, Oct. 11, 2020)

He basically says what I have been saying a couple of times in this thread recently: There is no protecting the elderly when the virus starts spreading. You protect the elderly and the vulnerable by protecting everybody from the virus. So far, no country has succeeded in doing what Sweden claimed as their strategy: Letting the virus spread among the younger and therefore less vulnerable generations while protecting old people in nursing homes etc.

 

[dann]

Sweden's second wave

'Like a bomb about to go off'

Han skriver i ett inlägg på Facebook att han är oroad över utvecklingen och att det verkar svårt att nå ut till alla grupper i samhället med informationen. Där ryter han ifrån och påminner om att det viktigt att fortsätta hålla avstånd och tvätta händerna ofta. Han är orolig för att det kommer att se ännu värre ut om ett par veckor.
Infektionschefen: ”Som en bomb som kan brisera när som helst” (SVT.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

He writes on Facebook that he is worried about the development and that it seems difficult to reach all segments of society with the information.
There he strikes the alarm and reminds that it is important to continue to keep your distance and wash your hands often. He is worried that it will look even worse in a couple of weeks.
The leader of prevention of infectious diseases: ”Like a bomb that will go off anytime.”

New wave of infections in nursing homes

En ny smittovåg på landets äldreboenden, en hårt belastad sjukvård och en allmänhet som börjar tröttna på restriktionerna. DN har talat med tre smittskyddsläkare om vad som oroar dem mest inför hösten och vintern.
Tre smittskyddsläkare: Det är vår största oro i höst (DagensNyheter.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

A new wave of infections at the country’s nursing homes, a severely affected hospital system and a public that begins to tire of the restrictions. Dagens Nyheter talked to three doctors of infectious diseases about what worries them most before the autumn and winter.
Three doctors of infectious diseases: It is our biggest worry this autumn

Long-haulers about to lose their health insurance

Hundratals långtidssjuka i covid-19 hotas under hösten av utförsäkring*. Kunskaperna om sjukdomen brister och nu slår Försäkringskassan larm om att den behöver hjälp för att hantera problematiken.
– Sjukförsäkringen medger inga generella undantag för vissa patientgrupper, säger generaldirektör Nils Öberg.
Sverige drabbades hårt när coronaepidemin drog in över landet i mars. Bland dem som först blev sjuka finns en grupp som i dag – nästan sju månader senare – fortfarande lider av sviterna av sjukdomen.
– Vi ser att några av dem som drabbats av den här sjukdomen, inte jättemånga men inte heller jättefå, fortsätter att vara sjuka länge. Det verkar som att det här viruset inte uppträder på samma vis som andra virus, och slår väldigt hårt mot vissa individer, säger Försäkringskassans generaldirektör Nils Öberg till TT.
”Covid-19 har överrumplat hela systemet” (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

Hundreds of Covid-19 long-haulers are threatened by utförsäkring*. The knowledge about the disease is incomplete, and now Sweden’s Public Social Insurance Agency sounds the alarm about needing help to cope with with problem.
– The Health Insurance doesn’t allow any general exceptions for certain groups of patients, says director Nils Öberg.
Sweden was hit hard when the corona epidemic came to the country in March. Among the first people to fall ill, there is a group that still suffers from the long-term effects of the disease today, almost seven months later.
– We see some of the people who came down with this disease, not an awful lot, but also not very few, continue to be ill for a long time. It seems as if this virus does not behave to way other viruses do, and it strikes some individuals very hard, says the director of Sweden’s Public Social Insurance Agency, Nils Öberg.
”Covid-19 has overwhelmed the whole system”
*Swedish term or phrase: utförsäkrade. "De som på grund av skärpta regler anses för friska för att vara sjukskrivna men för sjuka för att arbeta.” 'Those who due to stricter rules and regulations are considered to be too healthy to be treated as ill but too ill to work.'

Minister of social affairs about failing to care for the elderly

Det värsta misslyckandet inom äldreomsorgen är att alla inte fått en individuell medicinsk bedömning.
”Det är inte relevant att bara jämföra med några få andra länder, det här har drabbat många länder väldigt hårt”, säger Lena Hallengren.
Hallengren: Orättvis bild av regeringens insats (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Oct. 11, 2020)

The worst failure of the elderly care is that not everybody was diagnosed individually.
”It is not relevant to compare with just a few other countries. This impacted many countries very hard,” says Lena Hallengren.
Hallengren (minister of social affairs): Unfair portrait of the government’s actions

I am not really sure about this. She claims that the government will now do something to raise the quality of care for the elderly in Sweden, but it could also just mean that she wants to compare Sweden to Belgium or Andorra instead of to the other Nordic countries.