Unlike its Nordic neighbors, Sweden decided against instituting a strict lockdown. The government has enforced social distancing rules, but decided to keep most bars, restaurants, schools and retail shops open.
Unfortunately, Sweden's capital will not reach this milestone in May. "No that will not happen," Tegnell said on Monday in an email to NPR."Current investigations show different numbers, but [Stockholm's immunity rate] is likely lower [than 30%].
As you might be aware, there is a problem with measuring immunity for this virus."of an ongoing antibodies study that showed that only 7.3% of people in Stockholm had developed antibodies against COVID-19 by late April. Tegnell later described the study's figure as a"bit lower than we'd thought," adding that the study represented a snapshot of the situation some weeks ago and he believed that by now"a little more than 20%" of Stockholm's population should have contracted the virus.The study's results have provided further fuel for the critics of the Swedish approach. With 39.26 deaths per 100,000, Sweden's mortality rate is not only higher than that of the U.S. but also exponentially higher than those of its neighbors Norway and Finland , which both enacted strict lockdown measures, according toA protest against the government's anti-lockdown strategy at Stockholm's Sergels Torg square attracted a few dozen people on Sunday. One of the protest signs read,"In memory of everyone who Sweden couldn't save with its strategy." The Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., said in a statement provided to NPR that the country's government as well as its public health agency believe it's still"far too early to draw any clear conclusions or comparisons connected to the coronavirus pandemic," but"we are open with that the strategy has failed to protect the elderly living in care homes." Nearly half of the country's more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths have occurred in elderly care facilities., support the measures Tegnell's agency has recommended. For some anti-lockdown protesters in the U.S.,"Be like Sweden" has become a rallying cry at protest rallies. But given the political, social and cultural differences between the two countries, simply adopting the Swedish model might not work. "Every country and region is different, and every country and region needs do what they think is best for their place," Olofsdotter said."In Sweden, there's a fairly big trust between the population and the government and its agencies and vice versa. Of course, if we can be an inspiration to others, and they find measures that we have used useful in either a state or region, that's good, because we are all in this together." Even without a nationwide lockdown, the Sweden's economy has taken a hit as people continue to follow their government's guidelines and stay at home. that trips to retail and recreational destinations in Stockholm are down 23%, while passenger numbers on public transit declined 29% between March 28-May 9. Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank, provided two potential scenarios for the country's economic outlook in 2020. "Despite the comprehensive measures both in Sweden and abroad, the economic consequences of the pandemic will be considerable. The consequences for the economy will vary depending on how long the spread of infection continues and on how long the restrictions implemented to slow it down are in place," the Riksbank said in aBoth scenarios predict a rise in unemployment rate and a contraction of the country's gross domestic product. The central bank expects unemployment to rise from 6.8% to 10.1% and GDP to shrink by up to 9.7% this year as result of the pandemic. Earlier this month, Tegnell admitted that he is not sure Sweden's strategy was the right call."I'm not convinced at all - we are constantly thinking about this," he told
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