ggait wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:19 pm
Sweden bent their curve the old fashioned way -- with social distancing. Which the Swedes took VERY seriously. Not herd immunity. Masks are but one form, but not the only form, of SD after all.
Unlike Americans, Swedes do what they are told is useful and advise-able. So the Swedes did a lock down without a mandatory lock down order. That approach hasn't worked in the USA.
"
Swedes in general have changed their behavior to a great extent during the pandemic and the practice of social distancing as well as physical distancing in public places and at work has been widespread," said Maria Furberg, MD, PhD, an infectious diseases expert at Umea University Hospital in northeastern Sweden.
"During the months of March to early June, all shops were practically empty, people stopped dining with friends, and families stopped seeing even their closest relatives," Furberg told MedPage Today. "
A lock-down could not have been more effective. Handwashing, excessive use of hand sanitizers, and staying home at the first sign of a cold became the new normal very quickly."
Mozhu Ding, PhD, an epidemiologist at the famed Karolinska Institute, said the decline is "
likely to be a combination of measures taken by individuals, businesses and a widespread information campaign launched by the government."
"Even without a strict lockdown order, many businesses allowed employees to work from home, and universities are offering distance courses to the students," Ding told MedPage Today. "Individuals are also taking personal hygiene more seriously, as items like hand sanitizers and single-use gloves are often sold out in pharmacies and grocery stores."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectious ... id19/87812
After their initial mis-steps and challenges, Sweden (along with ALL the other first world countries) figured out how to do SD well. The USA is alone among first world countries in being completely unable to figure this out.
Hence the following daily death numbers (7 day average):
USA 989
Spain 31
Australia 16
France 15
UK 9
Japan 7
Germany 6
Canada 6
Italy 5
Sweden 0
Norway 0
Finland 0
NZ 0