Dear Reader:

Regarding #1 and 2 above: the infection cases in different areas within one country varies greatly, even in small countries. The areas most populated, with a bigger influx of people before lockdown measures, are the worst hit. So relaxing movement restrictions has to be custom made for each area within each country. The numbers in Worldometers, regarding the cases of infection in each country, as well as the graphs of daily new cases (reflecting the peaking and flattening of the curve), are averages. In reality, a flattening graph for a country, does not indicate a flattening graph in each and every area in that country.

Regarding #3 above, coronavirus in the Scandinavian countries, according to Wikipedia which has an entry for coronavirus in each country:

Denmark’s first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on Feb 27: it was a man who had  been skiing in Lombardy, Italy and returned to Denmark Feb 24. Denmark was among the first European countries to introduce lockdown measures, starting March 13.

Norway’s first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on Feb 26: a woman who returned from China the previous week. A national lockdown was announced on March 12: schools, kindergartens, fitness centers, hair salons etc. were closed, sport and cultural events and gatherings were banned, and restrictions applied to restaurants, in line with those introduced in other European countries like Denmark and Italy.

Finland’s first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on January 29: a Chinese tourist from Wuhan touring Finland tested positive for the virus. The Finnish government declared a state of emergency on March 16: all schools were closed, not including early education, theatres, libraries, museums, etc. shut down, public gatherings were limited to 10 people, and people  over the age of 70 were to avoid human contact, if possible, outsiders were forbidden from entering healthcare facilities and hospitals, including relatives of critically ill people.

Sweden’s first confirmed case of Covid-19 was on January 31: a woman returning from Wuhan tested positive. On February 26, following outbreaks in Italy and in Iran, multiple travel-related clusters appeared in Sweden.

But “Sweden has, unlike many other countries, not applied any lockdown, with most measures being voluntary.. The Public Health Agency and government of Sweden issues recommendations to work from home, if possible;  for people above 70 to stay at home; and issued general recommendations to avoid unnecessary travel within the country and to promote social distancing between people. Those with even minimal symptoms which could be Covid-19 are recommended to stay home”.

An April 9 article (time. com/ 5817412/ Sweden- coronavirus) reads: “As many public spaces throughout Europe empty out- with citizens only leaving for essential groceries or medication- life in Sweden is carrying on, mostly as usual. Children walk to school while adults meet up for dinner at their local bar.. Only the vulnerable have been advised to  isolate and some are working from home… The Swedish Public Health Agency.. does not call for lockdown measures”.

“Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s chief epidemiologist overseeing the government’s response to Covid-19 has said the government should allow the virus to spread slowly through the population, an approach initially employed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands before both countries rapidly changed strategy… Tegnell told Swedish TV on April 5 that Covid-19 could be stopped by ‘herd immunity or a combination of immunity and vaccination.’ (A vaccine for Covid-19 is likely at least 14 months away). But many experts throughout Sweden say the current strategy is dangerous… the current approach will ‘probably end in a historical masacare’.

A doctor working in a hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, said that “healthcare workers at his hospital who have tested positive for the virus but are asymptomatic have been advised to continue working… Opinion polls show that citizens trust the Public Health Authority, with 48% saying they have very high or high confidence in the institution.. Swedes have above-average confidence in their politicians, who in turn, trust citizens to follow their advice.”

“Even though 40% of Swedish households are single-person households without children, some experts say that Covid-19 can still spread rapidly and widely in these conditions. Sweden has the second lowest number of critical care beds in Europe after Portugal, with only 5 beds for every 100,000 inhabitants, and the healthcare would likely be unable to handle a severe Covid-19 outbreak.”

Healthline. com/ health/ herd- immunity # takeaway, reads regarding herd immunity: “Herd immunity happens when so many people in a community become immune to an infectious disease that it stops the disease from spreading. It can happen in two  ways: 1. Many people contract the disease and in time build up an immune response to it (natural immunity). 2. Many people are vaccinated against the disease”.

“For some diseases, herd immunity can go into effect when 40 percent of the people in a population become immune to the disease, such as through vaccination. But in most cases, 80 to 95 percent of the population must be immune to the disease to stop its spread. For example, 19 out of every 20 people must have the measles vaccination for herd immunity to go into effect and stop the disease.”

“Natural immunity can help create herd immunity, but it doesn’t work as well as vaccinations. There are several reasons for this: Everyone would have to contract the illness once to become immune; Contracting an illness can have health risks, sometimes serious; You may not know if you’ve contracted an illness or if you’re immune to  it.”

“For most healthy people, herd immunity isn’t a good alternative to getting vaccinated.. You can help  build herd immunity to certain diseases in your community by making sure you and your family have up-to-date vaccinations.”

But of course, there is no vaccine for Covid-19.

“There are several reasons why herd immunity isn’t the answer to stopping the spread of the new coronavirus:

1. There isn’t yet a vaccine for SARS-Cov-2.

2. The research for antiviral and other medications to treat Covid-19 is ongoing.

3. Scientists don’t know if you can contract SARS-Cov-2 and develop Covid-19 more than  once.

4. People who contract SARS-Cov-2 and develop Covid-19 can experience serious side effects. Severe cases can lead to death…

8. Hospitals and healthcare systems may be overburdened if many people develop Covid-19 at the same time.”

Back to Worldometers:

Sweden had 10,151 cases yesterday, and 10,483 cases today (an increase of  332)

Norway had 6,403 cases yesterday, and 6,485 cases today (an increase of  82).

Finland had 2,905 cases yesterday, and 2,974 cases today (an increase of  69).

Denmark had 5,996 cases yesterday, and 6,174 cases today (an increase of 178).

anita