Sweden, one of the world's few countries that refused to impose stringent lockdown measures during the coronavirus outbreak, has confirmed 4,350 coronavirus-related deaths and a total of 36,476 active cases, Chief Public Health Official Anders Tegnell said on Friday
STOCKHOLM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) Sweden, one of the world's few countries that refused to impose stringent lockdown measures during the coronavirus outbreak, has confirmed 4,350 coronavirus-related deaths and a total of 36,476 active cases, Chief Public Health Official Anders Tegnell said on Friday.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Sweden's COVID-19 death rate exceeds that of all Nordic countries and is among the highest in the world.
"To date, there are 4,350 deaths, 36,467 cases of [coronavirus] infection. This week we see a small trend in the increase in the number of cases, more young people are being infected. We associate this with an increase in the number of conducted tests," Tegnell said at a briefing.
In mid-April, the Swedish authorities announced the adoption of a new testing strategy, which broadened the range of those being checked, having included police officers and firefighters so that they could return to work as soon as possible. Previously, only hospital patients, people with severe symptoms, and medical staff were tested for COVID-19.
"At the same time, the number of patients in intensive care units continues to decline, which may indicate that we are seeing a drop in the spread of coronavirus," Tegnell added.
The Swedish authorities have refrained from introducing strict lockdown measures, favoring the concept of collective immunity, when a large percentage of a population becomes immune by being exposed to the virus.
The Scandinavian country, with a population of over 10 million, kept schools, kindergartens, shops and other public places open across the country, relying on citizens' responsible behavior.
