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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

'The price you pay': Sweden's 'herd immunity' experiment backfires

Unlike its Nordic neighbors, Sweden decided early on in the pandemic to forgo lockdown in the hope of achieving broad immunity to the coronavirus. While social distancing was promoted, the government allowed bars, restaurants, salons, gyms and schools to stay open.

Initially, Sweden saw death rates from COVID-19 that were similar to other European nations that had closed down their economies. But now the Scandinavian nation’s daily death toll per 1 million people is 8.71 compared to the United States’ 4.59, according to online publication Our World in Data. Sweden's mortality rate is the highest in Europe.

"I’d say it hasn’t worked out so well," said Dr. George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco. "I think the mortality in Norway is something like ten-fold lower. That’s the real comparator." (Norway's daily death rate is less than .01 per 1 million people.)

"If you let this go or don’t try very hard or go about it in somewhat of a more restrained way rather than we have here, this is the price you pay," Rutherford said. "Maybe it didn’t hurt businesses, but you have twice the mortality rate of the United States. All those people who died were part of families and they were citizens and part of the fabric of Swedish society. And now they’re gone because of a policy that hasn’t worked out quite the way they thought it would."

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Considering they are very progressive liberal socialist cradle to grave government. Perhaps that is how they wanted it. To thin the heard....

Anonymous said...

If we shut down the country for 4 or even 8 per MILLION dead then why don't we make everything that kills 4 per million. Cardiovascular disease kills 17 per million. Let's make butter and salt illegal.

Anonymous said...

Democrats are the Herd in America !!!

Anonymous said...

Mortality rate should be about the same if all things are equal. Meaning similar health care and ages of dead. My guess is that there were more older people that died in Sweden per capita. Has to be. Why would a 40 year old German be less likely to die if they get the virus than a Swede of the same age? Or once again we have people that are having trouble counting correctly???

Anonymous said...

The "herd" is on here. Same IQ anyway.

Anonymous said...

Sweden must have some Democratic "hoax" happening there.

Wait, that's not the way the hoax worked....

So, the science behind this was right all along? Imagine that! Science works!

Looks like some people owe an apology to the CDC and Dr. Fauci, now don't they?

Anonymous said...

As long as beautiful blonde women remain in Sweden, then all is ok. Not well, just ok. Death is always sad.

Priorities!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow it’s impossible to win! Liberals that support a shutdown are blamed for taking away people’s rights! Liberal nations who chose to keep businesses open are accused of wanting to “thin the heard.” You can’t have it both ways buddy. I guess that is what conservatives are trying to do in the United States while pretending that it is all about “protecting our freedom.” Nice one!

Anonymous said...

Pelosi Herd !!!!