As debate over Sweden’s covid-19 response continues, cases in the country are on the rise

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Sat, 2020-10-10 16:45 — mike kraft

As debate over Sweden’s covid-19 response continues, cases in the country are on the rise Sweden’s state epidemiologist, world famous for anti-lockdown measures, warned that the country is heading in the "wrong direction." Adam Taylor Washington Post

Sweden, where a shutdown-free pandemic response prompted a global debate, is seeing another wave of covid-19 cases, with the country’s state epidemiologist warning this week that it was heading in the “wrong direction” as winter approaches.

Sweden’s public health body recorded 554 new covid-19 cases Thursday — the highest since early July — and 417 on Friday, according to its online tracking tool, capping off what epidemiologist Anders Tegnell had warned would be a “record week” for new cases.

“It is slowly but surely going in the wrong direction in Sweden, even if the situation is not as serious as in other parts of Europe,” Tegnell said at a news briefing Thursday, according to the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

Unlike many other nations, Sweden has pursued a policy for containing the virus that avoided strict government measures and allowing many schools and restaurants to remain open. The success or failure of that policy is still being debated far beyond Sweden’s borders, where most countries implemented some form of lockdown. ...

Exactly why cases are rising in Sweden is not clear. The end of summer, which had allowed easy outdoor group activities, may be a factor, though government officials have also pointed to data that appears to show more Swedes are returning to the office and using public transport, despite government warnings.

Sweden has also increased its testing capacity, but data from the Swedish Public Health Agency has found a rising percentage of positive cases, which would suggest increased spread. ...

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