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SWEDEN

Sweden ranked ‘most competitive’ EU country

Sweden has been ranked as the most competitive country in the European Union (EU) and the fifth most competitive in the world, according to a new ranking from the Swiss business school IMD.

Sweden ranked 'most competitive' EU country

IMD announced its findings on Thursday in the annual World Competitiveness Yearbook, which ranks how successfully countries increase their prosperity by managing their economic and human resources.

The number one spot went to Hong Kong, which received a top score of 100, followed closely behind by the US, Switzerland and Singapore.

Sweden, with a score of 91.4 came in fifth overall, dropping one place from 2011’s 4ht place ranking.

Sweden is mentioned in the statement among countries with a positive attitude toward reforms and a positive development toward globalization.

The IMD rankings feature 59 countries and are based on statistics and assessments from business leaders. The results were comprised from a survey of more than 4,200 international executives, and revolved around 329 ranking criteria.

European countries rated highly in the rankings, with Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Germany coming inside of the top ten, countries which the report explained have export-oriented manufacturing and fiscal discipline.

Another six European countries were ranked in the top 20. Rounding out the top ten were Canada, Taiwan, Norway, Germany and Qatar.

According to the findings, the US rated highly “despite its setbacks” due to its “unique economic power, the dynamism of its enterprises and its capacity for innovation,” wrote IMD.

Meanwhile, the report showed that emerging economies are still suffering turmoil with China at 23, India at 35 and Brazil at 46 having all fallen from 2011’s report.

TT/The Local/og

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NORWAY

Norway to send 200,000 AstraZeneca doses to Sweden and Iceland

Norway, which has suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine until further notice, will send 216,000 doses to Sweden and Iceland at their request, the Norwegian health ministry said Thursday.

Norway to send 200,000 AstraZeneca doses to Sweden and Iceland
Empty vials of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

“I’m happy that the vaccines we have in stock can be put to use even if the AstraZeneca vaccine has been paused in Norway,” Health Minister Bent Høie said in a statement.

The 216,000 doses, which are currently stored in Norwegian fridges, have to be used before their expiry dates in June and July.

Sweden will receive 200,000 shots and Iceland 16,000 under the expectation they will return the favour at some point. 

“If we do resume the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, we will get the doses back as soon as we ask,” Høie said.

Like neighbouring Denmark, Norway suspended the use of the AstraZeneca jab on March 11 in order to examine rare but potentially severe side effects, including blood clots.

Among the 134,000 AstraZeneca shots administered in Norway before the suspension, five cases of severe thrombosis, including three fatal ones, had been registered among relatively young people in otherwise good health. One other person died of a brain haemorrhage.

On April 15, Norway’s government ignored a recommendation from the Institute of Public Health to drop the AstraZeneca jab for good, saying it wanted more time to decide.

READ MORE: Norway delays final decision on withdrawal of AstraZeneca vaccine 

The government has therefore set up a committee of Norwegian and international experts tasked with studying all of the risks linked to the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which is also suspected of causing blood clots.

Both are both based on adenovirus vector technology. Denmark is the only European country to have dropped the AstraZeneca
vaccine from its vaccination campaign, and said on Tuesday it would “lend” 55,000 doses to the neighbouring German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

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