STOCKHOLM, October 14 (Xinhua) – The COVID-19 infection rate is increasing throughout Sweden with an overwhelming majority of the regions reporting an increase in cases, Swedish TV reported on Wednesday.
A joint report from Sweden’s county administrative boards showed that 17 out of 21 regions are experiencing rising infection levels, and some report a rapid increase in the number.
“There is now a confirmed social spread in several municipalities, especially among school children, young people, staff in home care and staff in several hospital departments,” wrote the County Administrative Board of Jämtland-Harjedalen in the report mentioned by Swedish TV on Wednesday.
The Uppsala region has also seen a rapid increase in infections in recent weeks, with 7.5 percent of the tests positive compared to a previous frequency of 1-2 percent.
While the total number of COVID-19 patients in Swedish hospitals is still low, there has been a small increase recently, including in Uppsala where there are reports of cluster outbreaks among healthcare professionals and healthcare professionals.
Several municipalities report that a high level of sick leave affects both elderly care, hospitals and schools, and while several hospitals are now preparing for an influx of patients, some regions also report that many in the public ignore official social distance recommendations.
“There is a risk that the pandemic will normalize over time and this may lead to the public health authority’s recommendations not being followed,” the 21 county administrative boards wrote in their joint report.
The Swedish Public Health Agency reports eight new deaths since Tuesday, which raises the COVID-19 fee to 5,907. A total of 101,332 people in the country have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Source: sn.dk