New figures show that the spread of infection in Sweden is steadily decreasing. There are also fewer people caring for COVID-19 in the country’s intensive care units.
Updated figures from the Public Health Agency show that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has decreased by 29 percent during the past week. Still, there are differences at the local and regional levels.
Of those sampled, 26 percent were positive. The number of new admissions to the intensive care unit also continued to decrease.
Twenty-four newly admitted people have been reported so far during the previous week, compared with an average of 55 in the previous three weeks. The declining spread of infection follows developments in Europe.
We see a clear downward trend for the spread of infection in Sweden. At the same time, the dark figure is greater than before, as testing has decreased.
It is now concentrated on health care and elderly care, where it is judged to do the most good to reduce the risks of further spread of infection and protect the most fragile groups from severe illness and death, says department head Britta Björkholm.
Statistics also show that the number of confirmed cases of covid-19 decreased by 17 percent during the past week among people living in special housing for the elderly and those who have home care.
But the infection is not gone; it is still important to stay home in case of symptoms and follow the recommendations in health and care, including for visitors. The number of deaths per week increased during week 7 when 355 people died with covid-19.
The Swedish Public Health Agency estimates that it will be another time before the reduced spread of infection has the effect of reducing the number of deaths with covid-19. This is because there is a delay in time from illness to death and a delay in reporting deaths.
Even though the pandemic has entered a new phase with reduced infection, it is still ongoing. Therefore, it remains important to vaccinate against covid-19 to protect oneself and others and reduce the risk of serious illness and death.
The population is also better equipped to withstand new waves of infection and virus variants through a high vaccination coverage, says Britta Björkholm.
In Sweden, most 12 have chosen to be vaccinated against covid-19. Among those aged 18 or over, approximately 61 percent are vaccinated with a third dose.
But there are still just over a million people who have not taken their first dose, and there is a continuing need to increase vaccination coverage in the population.
