The region has released detailed figures which show how coronavirus cases and deaths are distributed across different parts of Skåne, the southernmost and third most populated region in Sweden.
These figures show that as of April 13th, the most recent date with statistics available at the time of publication, there were 459 known cases of the coronavirus in Skåne. This refers to cases which have been confirmed with a laboratory test, so is only a fraction of the total number of cases in the region.
By April 14th, 72 people were being treated in hospital with the virus in Skåne, 22 of them in intensive care units. And by the same date, a total of 32 people had died with the coronavirus in Skåne, although this does not necessarily mean that the virus itself was the cause of death.
As for where Skåne's coronavirus patients are located, Malmö, the region's capital and the third largest city in Sweden, has the most known cases at 60.
It is followed by Lund with 28 known cases, Kristianstad with 27, and Helsingborg with 26. Hässleholm has 11 confirmed cases, but no other municipality in the region has ten or more known cases.
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It's important to note that this can't be considered an accurate picture of how many people currently have the virus. The majority of people who catch the coronavirus are able to recover at home without hospital care, and these people are currently not tested. Since the figure includes all confirmed cases since March 15th, this will also include people who have since recovered or passed away.
In the table below you can see how many cases of the virus have been reported in each of Skåne's municipalities as of April 10th (the region updates its figures weekly, with the next update due on April 17th). In municipalities with fewer than ten confirmed cases, the exact figure is not given.
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Only cases confirmed after March 15th are included, and this is due to a change in testing which means figures before and after that date are not comparable.
Up until March 14th, people who had visited areas which at that time were considered high-risk for coronavirus, or who had had contact with confirmed coronavirus cases, were tested if they showed symptoms consistent with the virus.
From March 15th, the testing strategy was changed to focus on people who need hospital care or who live in elderly care homes and showed symptoms of the virus. By April 15th, around 5,500 coronavirus tests were carried out in Skåne.
Skåne Region updates its report of the number of known cases, hospitalised patients, intensive care patients, and deaths with coronavirus every day. That doesn't mean these figures show the exact numbers from each 24-hour period however, due to a lag in reporting.
What should you be doing to help reduce the rate of infection?
In Sweden, the official advice requires everyone to:
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Stay at home if you have any cold- or flu-like symptoms, even if they are mild and you would normally continue life as normal. Stay at home until you have been fully symptom-free for at least two days.
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Practise good hygiene, by regularly and thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water, using hand sanitiser when that's not possible, and covering any coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
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Keep distance from all other people when in public places. That includes shops, parks, museums, and on the street, for example. The World Health Organisation recommends keeping at least a 1.5-2 metre distance.
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Avoid large gatherings, including parties, weddings, and other activities.
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Work from home if you can. Employers have been asked to ensure this happens where possible.
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Avoid all non-essential travel, both within and outside Sweden. That includes visits to family, planned holidays, and any other trips that can be avoided.
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If you have to travel, avoid busy times such as rush hour if you can. This reduces the number of people on public transport and makes it easier for people to keep their distance.
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If you are over 70 or belong to a high-risk group, you should stay at home and reduce all social contacts. Avoid going to the shops (get groceries delivered or try to find someone who can help you), but you can go outside if you keep distance from other people. Read more about the help available to those in risk groups here.
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By following these precautions, we can all help to protect those who are most at risk and to reduce the rate of infection, which in turn reduces the burden on Sweden's healthcare sector.
- Read more detail about the precautions we should all be taking in this paywall-free article. Advice in English is also available from Sweden's Public Health Agency and the World Health Organisation.
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