Sweden Denies Pursuit of COVID-19 Herd Immunity Goals

Swedish Ambassador to the U.K. Torbjörn Sohlström denied that Sweden pursued herd immunity in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an interview with Times Radio.

When COVID-19 first tore through Europe in March, many countries closed schools and ordered citizens to stay home. Sweden took a different approach. Though the country banned gatherings of more than 50 people and closed schools for students over 16 years old, the government took a largely hands-off approach. Leaders recommended that citizens respect physical distancing, but restaurants, bars, and gyms stayed open. Health authorities in Sweden have still not advised that people wear masks.

In August, the chief epidemiologist in charge of Sweden’s coronavirus response, Anders Tegnell was criticized when journalists obtained emails to his Finnish counterpart, Mika Salminen. In these emails, Tegnell suggested keeping “schools open to reach herd immunity faster.” Salminen responded that models showed closing schools would reduce infections among the elderly by 10 percent, to which Tegnell replied, “10 [percent] might be worth it?”

Still, Tegnell denies that herd immunity was a goal. In a September interview with France 24, Tegnell said, “people getting infected on purpose, is of course not in accordance to any kind of public health policy. We tried to slow down the spread of the virus as much as anybody else.”

Per million people, Sweden suffered 10 times more deaths due to COVID-19 than its neighbors Norway and Finland and is the twelfth out of all the countries in the world for coronavirus deaths per capita.  

The country has lost 5,892 people to COVID-19 as of October 8, according to Johns Hopkins University. The majority of deaths have been tied to senior living facilities.

However, Sweden has recently been faring better than some European countries, many of which are experiencing a new surge in cases. Sweden’s 14-day cumulative total for COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, as of October 8, is 65.8, compared to 303.3 in Spain, 257.2 in France, and 285.4 in the Netherlands. Furthermore, Sweden’s COVID-19 death rate per 100,000 people, also measured as a 14-day cumulative total, is relatively low, at 0.2. 

It is still too early to determine whether or not Sweden’s model is superior to the path taken by other countries. When asked if the Swedish approach worked, Sohlström answered, “We don’t know yet.”