Current worldometers data confirms what we have been saying. Once the reporting catches up ( or whatever we want to call it ), Covid related deaths in Sweden are no longer the flattish numbers Jem and others have been harping on about all summer. In fact, a couple of weeks ago the 7 day average seems to have approached 40, quite a high number given their population. Most Jem has ever referred to is 13, which might even have been the same time period just with more complete reporting. Plus yesterday 24 was reported in a day ( subject to the delay still ) which may be an outlier or it might be front running a bad outcome coming. When Canada had such a outlier day, he posted about it quoting 7 day averages including that number to push his flawed narrative. As he is prone to do. More importantly, the concept that the herd immunity approach in Sweden ( pre-vaccine) has failed. All the excess early deaths did not prevent a second wave of deaths nor is their economy particularly strong by not taking Covid related precautions. And as much as Jem may try to pretend he never said any of this, roughly he did ( exact wording and theory open to interpretation ).
Jem is just fixated on the reward of being told he is a good boy, nothing to do with facts just how he can make a reward for himself out of nothing. Tegnell and co were discussing numbers a while back when concerned they would have to start implementing limited lockdowns. The figures they quoted for cases and deaths on specific days were far higher than worldometers or their GIS site indicated even a week after when I re-checked. These boys are the type to drive into lakes because the satnav says there is a road there.
Fact check: Sweden has not achieved herd immunity, is not proof that lockdowns are useless https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-...roof-that-lockdowns-are-useless-idUSKBN28C2R7 VERDICT False. The current COVID-19 situation in Sweden is not “proof that lockdowns are useless.” COVID-19 infection and death statistics show new increases in November 2020 meaning Sweden has not achieved herd immunity. ================================================================================= With hundreds of thousands of views and over 3,000 shares on Facebook, a video produced by the conservative U.S. nonprofit PragerU claims that “Sweden is the proof that lockdowns are useless” in stemming the spread of COVID-19 and that its population likely has “herd immunity” due to the lack of nationwide shutdowns. These claims are false. The video in question, which shows the organization’s founder Dennis Prager sitting on a chair by a fireplace with the headline “’Follow the Science’ Is a LIE” can be seen here and here . The following fact check explores the current state of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Sweden, the country’s response to the pandemic over the past several months, and the number of additional infections needed to possibly reach herd immunity. CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION IN SWEDEN With the highest daily average reported on Nov. 12, COVID-19 infections in Sweden are currently at 99% of the peak, with an average of 4,625 new infections reported each day. At the time of this article’s publication, there have been 257,934 infections and 6,891 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began (here). The Scandinavian county had 10,352,390 inhabitants as of mid-2020 (here). According to mortality analyses from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (here), the case fatality rate in Sweden is 2.6% -- higher than that of neighboring Finland (1.6%), Norway (0.9%) and Denmark (1.0%), as well as the United States (2.0%). As a country, Sweden has had 66.76 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 7.23 in Finland, 6.28 in Norway, 14.59 in Denmark, and 82.72 in the United States. As shown here by Our World in Data, a scientific publication run by Oxford University researchers, Sweden’s daily COVID-19 deaths per million increased by 1,200% between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1. SWEDEN IS NOT “PROOF THAT LOCKDOWNS ARE USELESS” As Prager states in the video, “Sweden did not lock down” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many countries around the world seeking to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infections by shutting down places like schools, workplaces and international borders, Sweden became an international outlier, shunning official lockdowns and widespread face mask use and relying on citizens to voluntarily follow such precautions as social distancing to help curb the spread of the virus ( here , here ). In late June, Sweden announced a commission to evaluate its pandemic response, reacting to criticism over a death toll far exceeding that of its neighbors (here). At the time, more than 5,300 Swedes had died compared to around 250 in Norway, 600 in Denmark and 325 in Finland, all of which have populations around half the size. Amid a summer lull in infections (here), Anders Tegnell, the country’s top epidemiologist and architect of its unorthodox pandemic strategy, predicted that Sweden was likely to see local outbreaks but no big second wave of COVID-19 cases in the autumn (here). As explained in a Sept. 18 article published by McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (here), Sweden, despite not implementing mandatory lockdowns, has in some ways “adapted to a new normal” that for many has meant using hand sanitizer and meeting friends outdoors. As outlined in the McGill analysis, however, workers in long-term care homes have lacked personal protective equipment, and more than half the COVID-19 deaths in Sweden happened in care homes for the elderly – a fact public health authorities admitted was due in part to their own failures. In addition, the public health agency’s decision not to communicate the risk of asymptomatic spreaders (here) and its ambivalence on mask-wearing “may also have been responsible for a false sense of reassurance,” the McGill article states. Sweden, setting daily new case records through much of November, is currently struggling to contain a growing second wave of the disease (here). On Nov. 12, Tegnell himself acknowledged the country was battling a second wave of the pandemic after suggesting in August such a scenario was unlikely (here). According to the Washington Post (here), “even Sweden appears to be abandoning the Swedish model,” with national authorities banning gatherings of more than eight people and banning alcohol sales at restaurants and bars after 10 p.m. As reported here by Reuters, Sweden registered 17,265 new coronavirus cases between Nov. 20 and 24, and 15,084 new cases recorded during the corresponding period one week prior (here). Based on the information reported above, Dennis Prager’s claim that “Sweden is the proof that lockdowns are useless” is not accurate. A study published in July by the University of Virginia School of Medicine (here) argued that the lack of a nationwide lockdown had increased COVID-19 deaths in Sweden. At the time the study was conducted, Sweden’s per capita death rate was nearly four times that of Denmark, nearly seven times that of Finland, and more than seven times that of Norway -- all countries that had enacted much stricter measures than Sweden. A previous Reuters fact check on the effectiveness of lockdowns amid the pandemic is available here . SWEDEN HAS NOT ACHIEVED HERD IMMUNITY Prager claims in the video that Sweden has “probably” achieved “herd immunity,” defined here by the Mayo Clinic as the point at which “a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely.” According to the Mayo Clinic, “there are two paths to herd immunity for COVID-19 — vaccines and infection.” With promising vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca awaiting approval (here), the herd immunity Prager refers to the kind reliant on community infection. With 257,934 total reported infections, only about 2.5% of Sweden’s 10.2 million residents so far have “officially” had COVID-19 ( here , (here ). A study published in the Lancet medical journal on Nov. 4 (here) estimates the level of herd immunity required to block SARS-CoV-2 transmission to be about 60 to 72%. Even if “unofficial” infections were higher than 2.5%, they’re unlikely to have reached the level needed for herd immunity. Using the lower end of this estimate, a total of more than 6.1 million people in Sweden would need to have been infected to achieve herd immunity. Based on the higher end, more than 7.2 million would need to have been infected. Regarding herd immunity, on Nov. 24 Tegnell said in a Stockholm briefing that “We see no signs of immunity in the population that are slowing down the infection right now.” (here) A November report from the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter said about a third of Stockholmers tested had antibodies (here). The possibility of reinfection with COVID-19 poses another obstacle to achieving herd immunity through community infection ( here, here ). According to the Mayo Clinic, “further research is needed to determine the protective effect of antibodies to the virus in those who have been infected” (here). As of this article’s publication, PragerU did not respond to Reuters request for comment. The Reuters Fact Check team previously unpacked a misleading PragerU video presenting climate change statements without key context, here . VERDICT False. The current COVID-19 situation in Sweden is not “proof that lockdowns are useless.” COVID-19 infection and death statistics show new increases in November 2020 meaning Sweden has not achieved herd immunity.
Sweden registers 5,400 new COVID-19 cases, 174 deaths https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...0-new-covid-19-cases-174-deaths-idUSKBN28C1WS Sweden, whose unorthodox pandemic strategy placed it in the global spotlight, registered 5,400 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, Health Agency statistics showed. The increase compared with a high of 7,240 daily cases recorded on November 20.
The current Swedish government has fallen to under 30% support due to their failed COVID response... Swedish government loses support as COVID-19 strategy comes under pressure https://fortune.com/2020/12/02/sweden-government-covid19-support/ Sweden’s main ruling party, the Social Democrats, saw a significant decline in support in a fresh poll, adding to signs that voters are worried about the nation’s Covid strategy. Backing for the party of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven fell by more than 4 percentage points to 29.4%, according to a bi-annual poll published by Statistics Sweden on Wednesday. It follows a November survey that showed 82% of Swedes are worried about whether their health-care system can cope with the pandemic. The polls suggest that Swedes are losing faith in their country’s handling of the pandemic. The nation has tended to avoid blanket restrictions on movement, which has coincided with a much higher Covid mortality rate than elsewhere in the Nordic region. Lofven was last month forced to change tack amid signs that Sweden now faces a dangerous winter with the pandemic. New measures include a ban on public gatherings of more than eight people. Meanwhile, support for Sweden’s main opposition parties is picking up. The Moderates saw an increase of 2 percentage points to 22.1%, while the nationalist Sweden Democrats saw their backing grow slightly to 17.6%, making them Sweden’s third-biggest party.
Sweden’s anti-lockdown experiment flopped. Now it faces a wave of pandemic pain https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...90ee28-3344-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html SWEDEN’S INITIAL response to the coronavirus pandemic was mild, keeping younger schoolchildren in class, allowing businesses and restaurants to stay open with distancing, limiting public gatherings to 50 people or fewer and hoping the population would develop immunity to a sufficient level that tighter restrictions would not be needed. Now, Sweden is caught up in a surge of infections and rising deaths, and a needed reconsideration is underway. There are important lessons, including: Don’t try this if you want to save lives. The response last spring, at the urging of state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, seemed attractive while the United States and others struggled with lockdowns. Many people wondered whether the Swedish experiment might offer an easier alternative, avoiding the severe economic and social costs of closure. President Trump, after a few weeks of lockdown, essentially embraced it, urging states to reopen. More recently, his former adviser Scott Atlas championed the ideas that stricter shutdowns can cause damage to education and economic well-being and are not necessary for public health. On Oct. 22, the Swedish public health agency announced some relaxations for nursing homes and elderly people, and permitted gatherings of up to 300 people for cultural and sporting events as long as they were properly distanced. But Sweden is now caught in a wave of pandemic pain — and reversing course. Sweden has 48.9 new confirmed cases per 100,000 population, compared with 21.7 in Denmark, 8.2 in Norway and 7.7 in Finland. Sweden is averaging about 42.6 deaths per day, compared with 6.9 in Denmark, 3 in Norway and 2.1 in Finland. Sweden’s total 6,798 deaths, predominantly among the elderly, dwarf the toll in the other Nordic nations combined. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven declared Nov. 16 that Swedes were not following restrictions as closely as they did in the spring, so gatherings during the next four weeks would be limited to eight people. “This is the new norm for the entire society,” he said. “Don’t go to gyms, don’t go to libraries, don’t host dinners. Cancel.” Mr. Lofven gave a nationally televised speech on Sunday reiterating that people should “call it off, cancel, postpone.” In Sweden, people are inclined to follow crisis instructions voluntarily and the public health agency has a great deal of independence; the government had delegated the early pandemic response to Dr. Tegnell. But it appears the promised immunity was not reached. “The issue of herd immunity is difficult,” Dr. Tegnell said at a briefing in Stockholm on Nov. 24. “We see no signs of immunity in the population that are slowing down the infection right now.” Polls show that Swedish public confidence in the authorities has sagged. Sweden probably was right to keep classrooms open. But in other respects, the experiment flopped. There are no magic wands. Until a vaccine is ready, the virus will leap from person to person in close contact, and the most effective way to stop it is to avoid that contact.
From my friend in Stockholm: “There are no body bags left. The city has become like ‘I Am Legend’ Manhattan. If you don’t hear sneezing or coughing, you hear hordes of people collapsing like a ton of bricks on the sidewalk. Not since the Black Death have we seen such destruction, carnage and Plague. This second wave is wayyyyyy worse than the first. Look at the numbers. It’s devastating and we will never recover. Maybe ever. Worst cold ever. The only solution is for us to hide in our basements, close the borders, and wait for summer to come. Otherwise, the remaining 99.94% of the population will die as gruesomely as did the other 0.06%.”
Seeing that the chart has a big red triangle warning on it -- should be notice that the chart is not updated for deaths in recent days. On Wednesday this week, Sweden reported 174 deaths.