Sweden tops Europe COVID-19 deaths per capita over last 7 days


Reuters | Stockholm | Updated: 19-05-2020 20:52 IST | Created: 19-05-2020 20:10 IST
Sweden tops Europe COVID-19 deaths per capita over last 7 days
  • Country:
  • Sweden

Sweden, which has opted for a more open strategy in combating the virus than other European countries, has the highest number of deaths in Europe per capita from the COVID-19 disease over the last seven days, data showed. Sweden has kept most schools, restaurants, and businesses open during the pandemic. While deaths are on the decline Sweden had 6.25 deaths per million inhabitants per day in a rolling seven-day average between May 12 and May 19, according to Ourworldinsata.org. That was the highest in Europe and just above the United Kingdom, which had 5.75 deaths per million.

Over the course of the pandemic Sweden still has fewer deaths per capita than the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and France, which have all opted for lockdowns, but much higher than Nordic neighbors Denmark, Norway, and Finland. Sweden's strategy, mostly based on voluntary measures regarding social distancing and basic hygiene, has been criticized by some as a dangerous experiment with people's lives but also been put forward as a future model by the WHO.

Sweden's open strategy seems to have softened the blow on the economy, with growth shrinking much less than in Denmark and Norway in the first quarter.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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