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Today in Sweden: A round-up of the latest news

Emma Löfgren
Emma Löfgren - [email protected]
Today in Sweden: A round-up of the latest news
People waiting for the train in Skåne, which just introduced stricter coronavirus measures. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Find out what's going on in Sweden today with The Local's short round-up of the news in less than five minutes.

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Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Stockholm

Another 1,678 people tested positive for coronavirus in Stockholm in the past four days (October 23rd-27th). That's an increase from 905 the same period last week, and follows a steady increase of infections in the Swedish capital region in recent weeks. Last week, 2,966 people tested positive – up from 1,657 the week before.

The number of people in hospital care is also increasing in Stockholm. A total of 119 Covid-19 patients are being treated in emergency hospitals or geriatric care, according to the region's latest update. That's 34 more than the previous update (Friday last week). Of those, 14 are in intensive care, five more than in the last report.

Swedish vocabulary: hospital care – sjukhusvård


A couple walking in central Stockholm last week. Photo: Amir Nabizadeh/TT

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Record number of Americans vote in Sweden

More than twice as many Americans have voted in the 2020 US presidential election compared to 2016, reports Swedish news agency TT today. In 2016 a total of 2,772 Americans in Sweden voted with the help of Democrats Abroad, but this year more than 6,000 have ordered ballots via the group.

Sweden is home to around 22,800 US-born residents, but Democrats Abroad estimates that the total number of American citizens based in Sweden is around 40,000.

Swedish vocabulary: to vote – att rösta


The US Embassy's election night in Sweden in 2016. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

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Sweden allows grocery stores to sell insects

Sweden has given the green light for supermarkets to sell insects as food products. This has previously been allowed in countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland, but not Sweden and most other EU countries, due to disagreement on how to interpret rules saying the EU Commission first needs to give its approval to new food products.

But a decision by the European Court of Justice now states that whole insects are not subject to previous legislation, which paves the way for selling insects in Sweden.

The Swedish Food Agency warns that some insects, especially mealworms and crickets, can cause allergic reactions, especially among people who are also allergic to shellfish.

Swedish vocabulary: mealworm – mjölmask


File photo of mealworm toffee. Photo: AP Photo/Stacey Plaisance

Southern Sweden rolls out stricter coronavirus measures

Everyone in the Skåne region is now required to avoid public transport and indoor venues such as shops, parties, and cultural venues under newly sharpened coronavirus regulations. This comes in response to a rise in new cases in the area, which was comparatively less affected by the coronavirus in spring than Stockholm.

"To us, this is something new, I would say we haven't had this kind of increase. Even though we only tested people who were admitted to hospital during spring, the development of the increase was quite slow. So it is something new for us to see this quick rise," Eva Melander, the region's infectious disease physician, told The Local.

READ MORE: What you need to know about Skåne's new coronavirus rules

Swedish vocabulary: an increase – en ökning


A bus in Malmö on Tuesday. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Amazon.se is now open for business in Sweden

Amazon has officially opened its Swedish site, potentially ushering in a new era for retailers in the Nordic country.

The Local has written more about the new Amazon site here.

Swedish vocabulary: e-commerce – e-handel

Sweden nears 'critical point' as coronavirus cases surge

Last week the number of new weekly coronavirus cases in Sweden increased by 70 percent, and the outbreak is approaching "a critical point", said state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell at the Swedish health authorities' biweekly press conference yesterday.

A total of 55 patients were being treated for Covid-19 in intensive care on Monday – or 15 percent of all patients in intensive care. That's still low compared to spring, when more than 500 Covid-19 patients were in intensive care at the peak, but it has doubled in the past week and the current situation is expected to deteriorate.

Everyone is still urged to work from home if they can, avoid public transport if possible, wash their hands frequently and keep a distance from other people – and if you live in the Uppsala or Skåne regions there are additional measures you need to be aware of.

Swedish vocabulary: critical point – kritisk punkt

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