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

[dann]

Stockholm syndrome?

There are four key components that characterize Stockholm syndrome:

A hostage's development of positive feelings towards the captor
No previous relationship between hostage and captor
A refusal by hostages to cooperate with police forces and other government authorities (unless the captors themselves happen to be members of police forces or government authorities).
A hostage's belief in the humanity of the captor because they cease to perceive the captor as a threat when the victim holds the same values as the aggressor[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

No, I don't think so even though it would be fun to claim that Swedes suffer from Stockholm syndrome.
I think it's mainly a question of ordinary, old-fashioned nationalism:
More think their country has handled COVID-19 well, with the exceptions of the U.S. and UK (PEW, Aug. 26, 2020)

Very early on in this thread, I had a couple of posts and links to articles about the peculiarities of Swedish nationalism. One of those peculiarities is Swedish consensus culture and the belief that Sweden is a particularly sensible nation, maybe even the only one of its kind. A new article describes it like this:

Experts put forward a host of reasons but at the core is a sense that, despite its size, Sweden is a “moral superpower” that seeks to act rationally, whereas it perceives the behaviour of other countries to be based on political calculations or emotions.
(...)
Sweden’s position was not built on a thorough plan but rather it improvised an explanation for its policy. In the case of Covid-19 it avoided formal restrictions and relied on individual responsibility to achieve behavioural changes. From a lack of formal lockdown to very limited use of face masks, the man in charge of Sweden’s coronavirus response — state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell — has insisted he is following the scientific evidence while other countries take decisions for more political reasons.
“It suits the image we have in this nation of being different and ‘superior’. We [tell ourselves that we] have better ideas than others, in Sweden. We are an extremely secular nation where rationality is perceived as a higher value. If you want to argue for something you say rationality is on our side,” says Mr Wolodarski, a sceptic of Mr Tegnell’s approach, “even though it is not true that the science is clear cut on our side.[/hilite]”
Sweden: why the ‘moral superpower’ dissented over Covid-19 (FinancialTimes, Oct. 16, 2020)

The Swedish skeptics have a forum similar to this one where they started a thread comparing the pandemic response of Sweden to the rest of the world - and to Denmark, in particular, on March 14:
Vilka nationella eller regionala åtgärder mot coronavirus är evidensbaserade?
Which national or regional measures against coronavirus are evidence-based?
Before spending any time researching this, they immediately agree that, yes, obviously, Sweden's strategy is evidence-based unlike Denmark's:

Precis! Danska sundhetsstyrelsen var väldigt tydliga med att Danmarks åtgärder var politiska, inte evidensbaserade.

Translation:
"Exactly! The Danish Health Agency was very clear that Denmark's pandemic measures were political, not evidence-based."

Whereas a link to well-argued criticism (Medium, March 14, 2020) of the Flattening-the-Curve strategy, which Sweden had chosen (and stuck to until very recently - if they ever actually gave it up) is dismissed out of hand: Sweden's strategy has got to be superior because it is ... well, Swedish, obviously, so it is just as obvious that any other strategy, un-Swedish as it is, must be wrong.

Swedish consensus culture is much more effective than the Stockholm syndrome. Anders Tegnell doesn't have to take anybody hostage at gun point. All he needs to do is to claim that his strategy represents Swedish evidence-based science, and then all consensus-seeking Swedes will be convinced that any other strategy is improvised and based on nothing but emotional nonsense.
Thousands of bodies don't convince them that something may be wrong with their allegedly evidence-based strategy, and when other countries are obviously better than Sweden in all aspects of their pandemic response, their chief epidemiologist is there to tell them that it is "impossible."

The hysterical fact-resistance of Swedes in this thread is not atypical. It is the way Swedish 'skeptics' react when reality doesn't live up to the idea of Swedish superiority, which the whole world ought to know is the only proper evidence they need. If facts don't support this idea, then they'll make up 'facts' that do: Sweden 0
Then the world feels right again - for a while.

There are exceptions to this, however. Some of the Swedish skeptics are no-nonsense straight-shooters.

 

[Rolfe]

Coronavirus: Sweden brings in rule of eight for diners amid spike in infections

 

[dann]

Thursday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Nov. 5 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 593 (6,002) 4,034* 90 *according to SVT.se
Denmark: 126 (733*) 1,223 24 *plus 17 million mink, mostly with, rarely of.
Finland: 65 (361) 189 15
Norway: 52 (284) 651* 14 *Norway’s PM asks people to stay home and avoid social contacts.
Iceland: 53* (18) 28 4 *Iceland just overtook Norway in Covid-19 deaths per capita.
Iceland has 762 active cases, Faroe Islands 5, New Zealand 67.
The Faroe Islands have 19 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized.
Second study on 'dark figure' of Covid-19 (KVF.fo, Nov. 5, 2020)
Considering that the Faroe Islands hold the undisputed world record in per-capita Covid-19 testing with more than three tests on average for every inhabitant, I can’t imagine their dark number will be very high.

 

[dann]

Coronavirus: Sweden brings in rule of eight for diners amid spike in infections

"More than 134,000 people have been infected in the Scandinavian country since the start of the pandemic."

That sentence should have included the word registered. Most people in Sweden are aware of this. In early April, when Sweden's death toll was more than 100 a day, the number of new registered daily infections remained below 700, i.e. an insignificant number of people got tested and thus registered.
Even at this point, they don't test enough because the numbers have already gone beyond the Public Health Agency's worst-case scenario, which the regions based their testing and hospital capacity on.

The actual number of people who have had the infection is probably at least ten times higher than the 134,000. The 'herd-immunity' optimists assumed it was even more than that. When you are flying blind, there is nothing to get in the way of your optimism ...

Maybe it's time to find out if Gavin's Stockholm doctor has anything to say about the current situation. I am talking about the one who assumed that Stockholm had already achieved herd immunity because they had relatively few cases this summer - like almost everywhere else.
Fans of Sweden's herd-immunity strategy loved that guy ...

 

[dann]

The UK now quarantines Danes because of Cluster 5:
Efter minkmutation - første land indfører nu særligt karantænekrav for danskere (TV2.dk, Nov. 6, 2020)
After mink mutation - the first country now introduces a quarantine particularly for Danes

"mink mutation"

 

[Samson]

”Rusta för en våg av langidssjuka” (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Nov. 5, 2020)
”Get ready for a wave of long-haulers”



In August, I had my last week at the job. After fifteen years of service at Karolinska Hospital, I needed a timeout. And yes, I admit it, corona was the last straw. Before the summer, when so many of us were on our knees after a long spring wearing a protective mask and really in need of rest, I was told that no leave of absence would be granted in autumn. I simply could not hold it together, I wanted to write my next book and to start doing research again. And I needed rest. But something else was also an important part of my decision, i.e. the need to process my experience. And I do not think I was alone in this feeling.
Process what? I had the feeling that we could have done more, and better, during the first months of the epidemic. I was involved in making decisions about patients who did not receive optimal care. We saw the tsunami coming, we heard what our Italian colleagues were warning us about, but we acted too slowly. For instance, in terms of which medications were to be administered, or which patients should be on ventilators. I do not blame anyone, neither intensive care nor managers, but I had to cope with my personal feelings, my own shortcomings, and to process it for myself.
"Corona broke me – will my colleagues have the energy to continue?"

A mournful epilogue.
Did Anders Tegnell go to the front line like Planigale from this forum?

 

[dann]

Since Anders Tegnell is the corona general, I'm pretty sure he'll be staying behind the lines.

Idén om flockimmunitet – att acceptera att en del av befolkningen smittas med coronaviruset – var tidigt en viktig del av Folkhälsomyndighetens strategi. Det avslöjas i en kommande bok, som SvD redan nu kan publicera ett bearbetat utdrag ur.
Mejlen avslöjar Tegnells val: ”Huvudlös strategi” (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Nov. 5, 2020)

The idea of herd immunity - to accept that a part of the population is infected with the coronavirus - was an important part of the Public Health Agency's strategy early on. It is revealed in an upcoming book, from which Svenska Dagbladet can now publicize an extract.
The email reveals Tegnell's choice: "Headless strategy"

Anders Tegnell hade tre alternativ: total nedstängning, smittspårning eller smittbegränsning för att uppnå flockimmunitet.
Han valde det sista – trots digra varningar.
Nya boken ”Flocken” avslöjar spelet bakom den så kallade svenska strategin.
Tegnell varnades tidigt för höga dödstal: ”Huvudlös strategi” (Aftonbladet.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

Anders Tegnell had three alternatives: total lockdown, contact tracing or limiting the spread to achieve herd immunity.
He chose the latter - in spite of dire warnings.
The new book "The Herd" reveals what happened behind scene of the so-called Swedish strategy.
Tegnell varnades tidigt för höga dödstal: ”Huvudlös strategi”
Tegnell was warned early on about high death toll: "Headless strategy"

This is a damning accusation against Tegnell. I hope the book will become available on Kindle.
I don't know if a Google translation of the article into English will be any good.


Ministern: Vi är på väg att stänga ner stora delar av samhället (SVT.se, Nov. 6, 2020)
The Minister: We are about to close down major parts of society

Coronafallen ökar och det gör också trycket på sjukhusens intensivvårdavdelningar.
Fia Börjesson, iva-sjuksköterska på Södersjukhuset hoppas att fler ska se allvaret i situationen.
– Håll ut lite till. Om avdelningarna blir fulla blir det svårare för oss att göra vårt jobb.
Iva-sköterskan Fia: ”Håll ut lite till” (SVT.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

The number of corona cases is increasing and so is the pressure on ICU wards.
Fia Börjesson, ICU nurse at the Söder Hospital, hopes that more people will see the seriousness of the situation.
– Hold out a little longer. If the wards are filled up, it will be harder for us to do our jobs.
ICU nurse Fia: ”Hold out a little longer”

Förskolepersonal måste kunna skydda sig med munskydd och visir för att undvika coronasmitta, har Arbetsmiljöverket beslutat efter larm om pandemioro från ett skyddsombud på en förskola i Bergs kommun i Jämtland, enligt TV4 Nyheterna. Beslutet innebär att förskolan ska tillhandahålla utrustningen för personalen.
Myndigheten: Förskolepersonal måste skyddas (SVT.se, Nov. 6, 2020 - 7:12)

After alarm about pandemic worries from a protection representative at a pre-school in the Berg municipality in Jämtland, the Workers' Protection Agency has decided that pre-school staff should be able to protect themselves with face masks and face shields to avoid corona transmission. The decision means that the pre-school has to provide the staff with PPE.
Myndigheten: Förskolepersonal måste skyddas
I can't believe that this isn't already the case, but that it isn't is probably due to the Swedish Public Health Agency's idea that children don't really transmit the virus.

Immunitet bland skolbarn ska undersökas (SVT.se, Nov. 6, 2020 - 11:10)
Immunity among school children to be studied

 

[dann]

'Social lockdown' in Oslo (TV2.dk, Nov. 6, 2020 - 13:20) Of gyms, cinemas, theaters etc.

 

[dann]

Demonstration for minkavlerne: - Vi savner svar, og det har vi gjort længe (TVMidtVest.dk, Nov. 6, 2020)
Demonstration for mink breeders: - We need answers, and we have neeed them for a long time

Internatonal press briefing about Cluster 5 at 14:30 CET (TV2.dk, Nov. 6, 2020 - 12:17). It is announced as a press briefing for the international media, so I expect it to be in English.

 

[dann]

I de mest utsatta områdena är positiviteten nu över 30 procent bland de som testar sig.
40 procent smittade i vissa områden i Uppsala (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

In the most impacted areaas, the percentage of people testing positive is now 30.
40 percent infected in some areas of Uppsala

Trenden tycks vara bruten och åter dör fler med covid. Nästan alla nya dödsfall under hösten är personer över 70 år.
Höga dödstal även bland äldre som bor hemma ()

The trend seems to have been broken, and more people are dying with Covid-19. Almost all the new deaths this autumn are people older than 70.
High death toll even among old people living in their own homes

It is not as if nobody had warned Anders Tegnell and the Public Health Agency that it might not be a good idea to relax the recommendations for old people at a time when the number of new infections was rising.

 

[dann]

Coronavirus: Sweden brings in rule of eight for diners amid spike in infections

Coronavirus: Sweden brings in rule of eight for diners amid spike in infections

(...)
Maybe it's time to find out if Gavin's Stockholm doctor has anything to say about the current situation. I am talking about the one who assumed that Stockholm had already achieved herd immunity because they had relatively few cases this summer - like almost everywhere else.
Fans of Sweden's herd-immunity strategy loved that guy ...

He is still there, a very severe case of denial. He hasn't posted anything since last week, so I wonder what he is thinking of the current situation. Here's one from Oct. 24:

September 2020 was the least deadly month in Swedish history, in terms of number of deaths per 100,000 population. Ever. And I don’t mean the least deadly September, I mean the least deadly month. Ever. To me, this is pretty clear evidence of two things. First, that covid is not a very deadly disease. And second, that Sweden has herd immunity.
Sebastian Rushworth MD

In the meantime, I guess we are supposed to forget about April, May and June, the same way we will be expected to forget about November and December.

 

[dann]

Sverige underskattade riskerna, säger generaldirektören för MSB. Sverige borde utreda att införa krislagar och en myndighet som samordnar landets insatser vid stora påfrestningar. Det säger Dan Eliasson, generaldirektör för Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, i en DN-intervju.
Dan Eliasson: 6.000 döda talar sitt tydliga språk (DagensNyheter.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

Sweden underestimated the risks, says the general director of the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency in an interview. Sweden should look into the introduction of crisis laws and an agency to coordinate the country's efforts in the event of great strain. This is what Dan Eliasson, General Director of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, says in an interview with Dagens Nyheter.
Dan Eliasson: A death toll of 6,000 says it all

Tegnell förnekade att strategin var flockimmunitet. Men mejlväxling från i mars visar något helt annat, och nu måste han förklara sig.
Tegnell satsade på flockimmunitet – men sa något annat (DagensNyheter.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

Tegnell denied that the strategy was herd immunity. But emails from March show something completely different, and now he has to explain himself.
Tegnell bet on herd immunity – but he said something else.

15 miljoner danska minkar ska avlivas och hela Nordjylland är satt i lockdown efter upptäckten av en ny coronamutation.
Nu bör alla minkar på smittdrabbade farmer i Sverige också avlivas, enligt Björn Olsen, professor i infektionssjukdomar.
– I det här läget måste hälsa gå före industri, säger han.
Professorn om nya mutationen: Avliva de svenska minkarna (Aftonbladet.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

15 million Danish mink will be culled and all of Northern Jutland has been placed on lockdown after the discovery of a new corona mutation.
Now all mink at infected farms in Sweden should be culled too, according to Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases.
– In this situation, health is more important than business, he says.
The professor about the new mutation: Cull the Swedish mink

Trots ökad smitta – fortsatt trängsel i köpcentrum (SVT.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

In spite of increased infection – still crowding in shopping mall The photo from the mall shows that Anders Tegnell has managed to convince the vast majority of them of the dangers of wearing face masks …

Uppgiften i en kommande bok att Anders Tegnell uppgett att Folkhälsomyndigheten valde flockimmunitet som strategi ger ”varken en sann eller relevant bild”, enligt FHM:s generaldirektör Johan Carlson. Socialminister Lena Hallengren (S) säger att flockimmunitet aldrig varit planen.
Carlson: Mejlet är taget ur sitt sammanhang (SvenskaDagbladet.se, Nov. 6, 2020)

The claim in an upcoming book that Anders Tegnell said that the Public Health Agency (PHA) chose herd immunity as its strategy presents ”neither a true nor a relevant picture,”according to PHA’s director Johan Carlson. Minister of social affairs Lena Hallengren (SocialDemocrat) says that herd immunity was never the plan.
Carlson: The email was taken out of context

Fyra dygns väntan på virustest – sämst att bli sjuk på en fredag (Sydsvenskan.se, Nov. 6, 2020)
You have to wait for four days to get a virus test – the worst thing is to get sick on a Friday

 

[dann]

Friday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Nov. 6, 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 595 (6,022) 4,697* 92 *according to SVT.se; highest registered number. No new numbers Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Denmark: 127 (738) 1,427* 23 *Highest registered number, 88,000 tests, 1.6% positive.
Finland: 65 (362) 266 13
Norway: 52 (285) 606 16 Norway’s PM asks people to stay home and avoid social contacts.
Iceland: 53 (18) 22 4
Iceland has 735 active cases, Faroe Islands 3, New Zealand 44.
The Faroe Islands have 17 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized.
Six days with no new Covid cases (KVF.fo, Nov. 6, 2020)

 

[dann]

Sedan i går har nio personer dött med covid-19 i Skåne, uppger Region Skåne.
Totalt har nu 323 personer i Skåne dött med covid-19.
Antalet nya fall i regionen har ökat med 400 det senaste dygnet och ytterligare 67 personer har tvingats söka vård mot covid-19 på sjukhus.
Sedan fredagen har även antalet intensivvårdspatienter i Skåne gått från nio till 15.
Senaste nytt om coronaviruset (Aftonbladet.se, Nov. 7, 2020 - 13:31)

Since yesterday, 9 people have died with Covid-19 in Scania, according to Region Scania.
In total, 323 people in Scania have now died with Covid-19.
The number of new cases in the region has increased by 400 in the last 24 hours, and another 67 people have been hospitalized.
Since Friday, the number of ICU patients in Scania has gone from 9 to 15.
Latest news about the coronavirus

Scania has a population of 1.34 million.
There will be no new numbers for all of Sweden till Tuesday afternoon.

 

[dann]

Danish press briefing at 16:00 CET (in half an hour).
The regional European director of WHO, the Belgian physician Hans Kluge, will be there. The themes are Covid-19, restrictions og mink mutations. (I really love that word!)

 

[dann]

Sweden is a foreign country; they do things differently there.

Just nu ökar smittan i Sverige och statsepidemiolog Anders Tegnell konstaterar att läget är allvarligt. Men han tror inte det är effektivt att införa en stängning av samhället.
– Många länder som haft kraftiga nedstängningar har hamnat i en ännu värre situation än Sverige och i många länder följer man uppenbarligen inte de här nedstängningarna speciellt väl,
Anders Tegnell om ökade smittan: Väldigt strikta restriktioner i våras (SVT.se, Nov. 7, 2020)

Right now, the spread of the virus is increasing in Sweden, and national epidemiologist Anders Tegnell ascertains that the situation is serious. But he doesn’t think it is effective to lock down society.
– Many countries that had massive lockdowns ended up in a much worse situation than Sweden, and in many countries they obviously aren’t very good at obeying these lockdowns.
Anders Tegnell about the increased spread: Quite massive restrictions this spring
That lockdowns have worked wonders in many other countries isn't something Swedes should worry their little heads about.

Sverige står ganska ensamt när det gäller inställningen till munskydd. Något som inte är obligatoriskt i samhället.
– Att tro att munskydden ska vara räddningen är nog farligt, säger statsepidemiolog Anders Tegnell.
Tegnell: Munskydd är inte räddningen (DagensNyheter.se, Nov. 7, 2020)

Sweden is all alone in its attitude to face masks. Something that isn’t mandatory in Sweden.
– It is probably dangerous to think that face masks are the solution, says national epidemiologist Anders Tegnell.
Tegnell: Face masks won’t save us
It seems to be utterly impossible for this guy to understand that nobody has claimed that face masks are the solution.

Friskis lockade folk till gymmet – trots avrådan från smittskydd (SVT.se, Nov. 7, 2020)
Friskis (a gym) lured people to the gym – in spite of recommendations from infection-prevention authorities against going to the gym
Remember that restrictions in Sweden are often recommendations that should be considered to be restrictions except that they aren't restrictions because that would infringe on people's unrestricted mutual-infection rights.

So no face masks, no lockdowns, no restrictions, except for the lockdowns and restrictions that they have anyway, which is fine as long as they aren't called lockdowns and restrictions.
More of them are on the way ...

 

[dann]

This one just to follow up on the peculiar view of advice or recommendations in Sweden, i.e. they are meant to be considered a law, but they aren't, not really, but you still have to take them much more seriously than, 'Well, it might be a good idea if you ... Just saying.'
The sentence is from an article about a gym staying open for business as usual because it hasn't been ordered to shut down, but when it is recommended that people don't go there, they kind of ought to get the idea, didn't they?!

— Senast förra veckan introducerades ju tuffare restriktioner med råd att avstå inomhusmiljöer såsom gym och restauranger, säger Gaetano Sardina.
Är covid-19 en luftburen smitta? (SVT.se, Nov. 7, 2020)

Last week, tougher restrictions were introduced with advice to stay away from indoor environments such as gyms and restaurants, says Gaetano Sardina.
Is Covid-19 transmission airborne?

Saturday:
Coronavirus - countries (Worldometers, Nov. 7, 2020)
Deaths per million (Total deaths) New cases Serious/Critical
Sweden: 595 (6,022) 4,697* 92 *according to SVT.se No new numbers Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Denmark: 128 (740) 1,050* 29 *Based on 67,000 tests, percentage of positives 1.5, according to TV2.dk
Finland: 65 (362) 266 13 From now on, Finland’s numbers will only be updated on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
Norway: 52 (285) 408 19
Iceland: 53 (18) 24 4
Iceland has 710 active cases, Faroe Islands 2, New Zealand 43.
The Faroe Islands have 17 in quarantine, 0 hospitalized.

The Faroe Islands' 'Dr. Fauci' awarded:

”Debes Hammershaimb Christiansen has not only played a crucial role in the fight against the coronavirus; he has also generously shared his vast knowledge on the subject in Faroese and international media,” Bergur D. Hansen, the dean of the University of the Faroe Islands, said at the award ceremony.
Covid expert scoops media award (KVF.fo, Nov. 7, 2020)

For those of you who haven’t already heard about the Faroe Islands’ ‘fishy’ Covid-19 success story:

Fish disease at root of successful corona testing - Were it not for a local scientist’s clever foresight, Faroese corona tests may have had to be sent to Denmark for analysis (KVF.fo, Mar. 25, 2020)

 

[The Atheist]

In August, I had my last week at the job. After fifteen years of service at Karolinska Hospital, I needed a timeout. And yes, I admit it, corona was the last straw.

That's something that gets overlooked a lot - the burnout of health workers. The long-term toll they're taking could take decades to recover from.

 

[dann]

Sweden is a foreign country; they do things differently there. Continued ...

Ovanligt med svenska superspridare
Så kallade superspridare har antagligen en större betydelse för den pågående smittspridningen av coronaviruset, än vad man trott.
I Sverige har vi hittills dock haft få sådana fall, enligt Folkhälsomyndigheten, rapporterar TT.
– Vi har inte sett så mycket av det i Sverige. Vi håller på att samla in (uppgifter från) utbrott och de allra flesta omfattar ganska få personer. Så vi har inga riktiga "superspreading events", så här långt i alla fall, men det är en viktig aspekt att hålla koll på, säger statsepidemiologen Anders Tegnell.
TT: Hur kommer det sig?
– Bra fråga. Vi har haft något enstaka. Utbrottet i Gällivare verkar ha varit någonting ditåt och det fanns någon kör utanför Göteborg. Men någon av de här riktigt stora verkar vi inte ha haft.
Att coronaviruset uppför sig på detta sätt påverkar också smittspårningen.
– Det gör smittspårningen väldigt viktig, speciellt att man spårar bakåt och försöker förstå var man har smittats någonstans, så att man snabbt kan sammanställa om det verkar ha varit flera personer som kan ha smittats, så att man kan varna dem, säger Anders Tegnell.
Senaste nytt om coronaviruset (SVT.se, Nov. 8, 2020- 9:47)

Swedish superspreaders are rare
So-called super-spreaders are probably more important for the ongoing spread of the coronavirus than previously assumed.
In Sweden, however, we have so far had few such cases, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency, reports TT.
– We have not seen much of it in Sweden. We are collecting (data from) outbreaks and the vast majority include very few people. So (!) we have no real "super-spreading events", at least for now, but it is an important aspect to keep track of, says national epidemiologist Anders Tegnell.
TT: How come?
– That is a good question. We have had something unique. The outbreak in Gällivare seems to have been something like that and there was some choir outside of Gothenburg. But we do not seem to have had any of those really big ones.
It also affects contact tracing that the coronavirus behaves in this way.
– This makes contact tracing very important, especially that you trace backwards and try to understand where you have been infected, so that you can quickly establish if several people may have been infected, so you can warn them, says Anders Tegnell.
Senaste nytt om coronaviruset


This is another example of the insanity of Swedish research in the middle of the pandemic: For the first couple of months, they did almost no testing and even less contact tracing. Sweden had several "of those really big ones," but since people weren't supposed to get tested unless they were seriously ill and contact tracing hardly existed, "the vast majority include very few people," i.e. Sweden does "not seem to have had any of those really big ones."

It is no coincidence that he mentions the "outbreak in Gällivare" and "some choir outside of Gothenburg." They both happened in June when Sweden was beginning to test more people than the ones who were going to be hospitalized and also started doing some contact tracing:
Så drabbades Gällivare av coronaviruset (DagensNyheter.se, June 27, 2020)
How the coronavirus hit Gällivare
utbrott av corona på Vrångö i Göteborgs skärgård (Aftonbladet.se, June 15, 2020)
Outbreak on Vrång Island in the Gothenburg archipelago

However, we do know that Sweden was one big superspreader event for the first couple of months. That the individual clusters were never registered as superspreader events is due to deficient data, not to any other Swedish 'uniqueness.' We owe our knowledge of the individual super-spreader events to reports in the Swedish media at the time when Swedish kändissar (celebrities) described how parties had helped spread the virus and subsequent disease and death.

I fear that Anders Tegnell and his cronies at the Public Health Agency will be issuing 'scientific' reports based on their deficient data much the same way they did about school children as (non) transmitters of coronavirus. All reports from that agency should contain disclaimers like the ones Twitter is currently providing most Trump tweets with.

 

[dann]

Sweden is a foreign country; they do things differently there. Continued ...

Swedish superspreaders are rare

Swedish consensus culture isn't, however. The media are spreading the good news:
Tegnell: Inga riktiga superspridarhändelser (Expressen.se, Nov. 8, 2020)
Ovanligt med svenska superspridare (Aftonbladet.se, Nov. 8, 2020 – 8:46)
Ovanligt med svenska superspridare (Sydsvenskan.se, Nov. 8, 2020)
Ovanligt med svenska superspridare (DagensNyheter.se, Nov. 8, 2020)

I haven't seen any objections to Tegnell's idea, but some of the articles are paywalled.