Former top civil servant Gus O’Donnell urges ministers to use ‘wellbeing’ analysis to allow a Sweden-style ‘phased’ easing of the coronavirus lockdown by balancing quality of life against the death toll He urged ministers to use quality of life measures balanced against death toll Would allow UK to gradually lift lockdown whil ekeeping most vulnerable … Read more
A lockdown might not have saved lives in Sweden because half its coronavirus deaths are in care homes where visits are already banned, the country’s top disease expert said today. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said it was ‘hard to understand’ how a full-scale lockdown would have stopped the virus spreading into nursing homes. While Sweden … Read more
Sweden is piling up coronavirus cases more slowly than Britain – without the need for an economically crippling lockdown. Over the last three days, Sweden added an average of 50 cases per million people, whereas Britain’s figure was 73 despite a shutdown which has now been in place for a month. Britain’s three-day average has … Read more
Analysis of death tolls in 13 countries and regions hit by coronavirus has revealed tens of thousands of unexplained deaths that could be linked to the pandemic but are not being counted in official totals. Data reveals that some 88,000 more people died in the locations studied between March and April this year than in … Read more
Sweden recorded 172 new coronavirus deaths and 682 new cases today on one of its bleakest days since the crisis began. The 172 new deaths are the second-largest jump on record, behind only yesterday’s figure of 185 which came after a weekend backlog. It takes the death toll in Sweden – which has not imposed … Read more
While the world gets to grips with living in isolation, Karin Jansdotter has been dealing with very limited social interaction since November – in the icy wilds of Antarctica. The 34-year-old globetrotting chef from Sweden landed a job on the Troll Norwegian research base on Queen Maud Land along with five men, and she is … Read more
Sweden reported a record 185 new coronavirus deaths today, as a top health official defended the country’s refusal to go into lockdown. Epidemiologist Anders Wallensten said ‘voluntary restrictions’ could be ‘maintained for a longer period’ than the compulsory lockdowns which most of Europe has imposed. People in Sweden accepted the ‘reasonable’ rules without being forced to … Read more
Sweden recorded just 40 new coronavirus deaths and 392 new cases today as the country continues to resist going into lockdown. Like other countries, Sweden has typically seen a fall in reported cases on Sundays and Mondays followed by a surge when the weekend is fully accounted for. The jump of 392 new cases is … Read more
Carl Heneghan, a professor of medicine at Oxford University, claims the UK’s coronavirus outbreak peaked a week before lockdown and that draconian measures were unnecessary The UK’s coronavirus outbreak peaked a week before lockdown, according to a leading expert who argues the draconian measures were unnecessary. Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at Oxford University, … Read more
Parts of Sweden could achieve ‘herd immunity’ as early as next month, the country’s leading epidemiologist has said, as the death toll rises. The Government is holding out against a total lockdown despite growing calls for ‘rapid and radical measures’ to contain the coronavirus outbreak. It has cancelled football games and closed university buildings. Restaurants, … Read more