“As governors across the country fell into line in recent weeks, South Dakota’s top elected leader stood firm: There would be no statewide order to stay home,” the Washington Post reports.
"As governors across the country fell into line in recent weeks, South Dakota’s top elected leader stood firm: There would be no statewide order to stay home," the Washington Post reports. "Such edicts to combat
politicalwire.com
Do you really imagine a few deaths is a problem? How many times do you think we can shut down the economy to prevent a few hundred deaths?
It's teh flu
Sweden is still wide open, they're fine
Are they?
Sweden's relatively relaxed approach to controlling the spread of the virus has come under fire from 22 researchers who have publicly criticized the strategy.
www.forbes.com
Sweden's relatively relaxed approach to controlling the spread of the coronavirus has come under fire in international media and
from many locals in the capital Stockholm, where more than half the country's deaths have been recorded. Now, 22 researchers have publicly criticized the strategy and called on politicians to make changes.
Harsh criticism from research scientists
In an opinion piece published today in
Dagens Nyheter, the group of researchers from a range of top Swedish universities and research institutes make
harsh criticism of the Swedish Public Health Agency and their present coronavirus strategy. They say that elected politicians must now intervene with "swift and radical measures."
The researchers say the agency has claimed on four different occasions that the spread of infection has levelled out, despite evidence to the contrary. They point out the slowdown in infections and deaths in Finland, which has implemented
much more restrictive measures.
Major public events such as the start of the Swedish soccer season are postponed and the physical buildings of universities are closed, but otherwise everyday life continues. Schools remain open.
Sweden deaths much higher than neighboring nations
The criticism comes as the Swedish death total hits new heights. 1,033 people have now died from COVID-19 in Sweden, according to the
Swedish Public Health Agency. That's an increase of 114 in the past 24 hours. The daily update also confirms that 11,445 people have tested positive in Sweden with 915 receiving or having received intensive care treatment.
MORE FROM FORBESWhy Sweden's Coronavirus Approach Is So Different From OthersBy David Nikel
The researchers highlight Finland, which has recorded ten times fewer deaths than Sweden on a per-person basis. Sweden's deaths as a percentage of population is also much higher than Denmark and Norway, which have also introduced strict measures.
The group highlighted the last three days before the Easter vacation began. In the period April 7-9: "10.2 people per million inhabitants died of COVID-19 each day in Sweden. In Italy, the figure was 9.7. In Denmark it was 2.9, in Norway 2.0 and in Finland 0.9," stated the letter.
Not taking it seriously enough
While Swedish authorities have stopped short of implementing many of the emergency measures seen in neighbouring countries, they do recommend that people stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel.
According to
Aftonbladet, Jan Lötvall, a professor at the University of Gothenburg, said that Swedish people have not understood the seriousness of the situation because they have
received unclear messaging from health authorities and elected officials.
The researchers now want rapid change. They suggest that schools and restaurants should be closed as in Finland. In addition, healthcare professionals working with the elderly must use proper infection control equipment and a mass testing of health personnel must be carried out.
www.breitbart.com
