Covid-19 and the Swedish Enigma
thelancet.com
thelancet.com
For example, the article mentions government recommended mask wearing and that it took until December for the recommendation to be put forward but you need to understand the details to fully realize how ludicrous its implementation is.
First of all, it is not mandated by law but only a recommendation which means that there are no legal consequences for transgressors.
Secondly, the recommendation only covers public transportation in select cities during rush hour and weekdays, making it difficult to keep track of when to wear a mask.
Thirdly, travelers who aren't wearing a mask cannot be removed for the premises by bus drivers, safety staff or other staff as this is a right only excecised by the police. So basically it took the government almost a year to suggest the public to wear masks but the recommendation is toothless and confusing, leading to very few people wearing masks when in public.
Now imagine the same incompetence being applied to every aspect of Sweden's Corona handling and you might understand why Sweden's strategy had been so consistently terrible.
While this approach leads to bigger numbers of deaths directly caused by the pandemic, actual effects can only be measured further down the line (say in five years). And we still haven't seen any numbers to compare mortality rates due to all causes since the pandemic started (i.e. due to focus on covid, how many other serious diseases are left untreated? how many of the covid death cases were likely to pass away from getting any other common infection like influenza?...)
I am not saying that Sweden's approach is favourable, but that it's a risky move that has the potential to be better in the long run and when looking at the big picture (i.e. what's the total number of deaths in Sweden in 2020 and how does it compare to previous years?). But to call it terrible is making judgement too early.
I fully understand that someone having their loved ones in a nursing home is frustrated with their government not doing anything when such an obvious risk is present, and that most people don't have the means to do what they feel is right (eg pull their loved ones out and provide dedicated care for them), but at the same time, I feel for thousands of those who've been confined to die alone for having but a cough. It's a tricky time, and only hindsight will be 20/20.