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COVID-19 ALERT

Sweden records highest number of daily Covid cases since start of pandemic

On December 30th, 11,507 new cases of Covid-19 were reported to the Public Health Agency – the highest confirmed number for a single day since the start of the pandemic. However, large-scale testing did not begin until the autumn of 2020.

Published: 4 January 2022 16:59 CET

Sweden records highest number of daily Covid cases since start of pandemic

File photo of a PCR test being carried out. Photo: Jeremias Gonzalez/AP/TT

The previous highest confirmed daily tally was 11,376 on December 23rd 2020.

Many regions are reporting high levels of new cases of Covid-19 after the Christmas period. In some regions the rate of infection has doubled, and some areas are reporting their highest ever levels for a single week. At the same time, the amount of patients requiring hospital treatment due to the virus has increased.

In the western Västra Götaland region, cases increased last week by over 104 percent compared with the week before.

Cases in the southern region of Skåne have doubled over the same period – rising from 5,563 cases between December 20th-26th up to 11,158 cases the following week.

“Infection is spread when people meet. It’s important now that we remember to keep a distance from each other and avoid crowded environments, work from home if possible, and use face masks in public transport where there are often crowds,” infectious disease doctor Thomas Wahlberg said in a press statement.

Changes in the amount of positive Covid-19 cases reported can be affected by the amount of tests available as well as local recommendations.

Member comments

Anonymous - 5 January 2022 at 08:01 CET

I think that a lot of people in since Omniproct came along , must have felt terrible in the last two weeks , and just stayed at home , not knowing if it was the flu oe Covid . All I can say is thank God for the Vaccines , otherwise I would have had another rough time with Covid . I think it’s time people accept the fact that this virus is not going away , and readjust to the new day to day reality , just as those living in tropical areas deal with malaria , where catching it is a part of life if you do not get protected .

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Sweden introduces testing requirement for travellers from China

Citing a high level of Covid-19 infection in China and reduced restrictions in the country, Jakob Forssmed announced that the Swedish government has made the decision to introduce temporary travel restrictions for travellers to Sweden from China, which will apply to so-called “third country citizens”, (i.e. non-Swedish, non-EU citizens), upon arrival.

“This morning, the Swedish government has made the decision to introduce temporary travel restrictions upon entry to Sweden from China,” he said.

“This is being done, among other things, to lower the risk of a new variant of the virus causing Covid-19 entering Sweden or spreading to other countries. This decision is based on the proposal recently submitted to the government by the Public Health Agency,” he said.

Forssmed also said that the test requirement is intended to reduce strain on Swedish healthcare by delaying the introduction of a potential new variant to Sweden.

He stated that travel restrictions will apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals arriving in Sweden from China, as well as adults and children over the age of 12.

“Travel restrictions do not apply to Swedish citizens,” he added, “and there are some other exemptions, such as people with residency permits in Sweden, people with long-term EU residency, and other EU/EES citizens.”

The test requirement will come into force on January 7th and will apply for three weeks.

“This means that [restrictions] will apply at the time of the next flight from China,” he said.

Finally, Forssmed encouraged the public to help limit the spread of infection.

“I would like to underline the importance us all helping each other to limit the spread of infection by following the advice and recommendations on Covid-19 which are in place. That means: show consideration, stay at home if you have symptoms or are unwell, and get vaccinated,” he said.

Byfors, head of department at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, said that a temporary test requirement is a “possible relevant measure in the current situation,” adding that the Agency is “well aware” that travel restrictions “cannot stop the spread of a new variant of the virus, as shown throughout the pandemic”.

“However, a coordinated EU response could potentially delay the introduction of a new variant of the virus, and even a slight delay is valuable in the difficult situation healthcare is under currently and has been under for a long time,” she added.

She said that the epidemiological situation in China is “difficult to assess”, with “very limited information” on which variants of the virus are present in the country compared to elsewhere in the world.

“The data we have suggest that it is the same variants of the virus that we have here, but we can also still see that we need more information.”

She added that, despite a high level of infection in Sweden, the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine has limited the impact of this on Swedish healthcare.

“However, healthcare is highly strained, not least due to the strain of RS-virus, influenza and Covid-19, and we believe this will continue throughout the winter.”

Byfors added that the Agency is also looking at the effects the Covid-19 situation in China could potentially have on Sweden and will issue a report next Wednesday.

READ MORE: What we know about Sweden’s restrictions on travellers from China

She also echoed Forssmed’s statement to follow current advice and recommendation regarding the virus.

“Vaccinate yourself according to the current recommendations. Vaccinations are still the best way to protect yourself against the risk of serious illness,” she said.

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