"From having been between 10-15 deaths a week, the deaths in Sweden increased, from mid-October, to just over 60 deaths a week. And most people who have died with covid-19 have lived in nursing homes or had home care, reports TT.
TT has investigated who has died with corona from the beginning of October until last week with the help of the cause of death certificates that have been received by the National Board of Health and Welfare.
A total of 289 deaths have been registered - a figure that will increase due to backlogs in the statistics. And of these 289 people, 232 are over 80 years old. "
Once again they are having an issue, primarily in care homes. Most of the deaths are people in end of life care. The reason, I suspect, that there is no excess mortality is that these people are vulnerable to other respiratory diseases at this time of the year.... though this virus seems to be particularly deadly for those very old and frail people.
Of the 6,400 to have died from covid in Sweden just 660 have been younger than 70 and less than 250 have been younger than 60. Most have other serious illnesses.
These are all individual personal tragedies of course, but, bluntly, many of them were likely to die this year anyway.
Sweden had a very soft flu season last year, which left a lot of very old and frail people vulnerable to this awful disease.
I find the comparison between countries to be tasteless and meaningless. Sweden is completely different from its Nordic neighbours in population make up and distribution.
What is happening there at the moment is pretty much what the state epidemiologist predicted ... that seasonal factors would likely bring about more infections. It seems that, a bit like in the UK, the areas being hit badly now are those that were spared in the spring.
) but that's how I'd see it.
