Today in Sweden: A round-up of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on in Sweden today with The Local's short round-up of the news in less than five minutes.
More than half of Sweden's ICU patients have Covid-19, for the first time since spring
The majority of patients in Sweden's intensive care units have Covid-19, which the National Board of Health and Welfare said had not been the case since spring.
Thomas Lindén, department head at the National Board of Health and Welfare, said that Sweden currently has 666 intensive care beds with ventilators, of which 464 are occupied, 237 of them Covid-19 patients. The Local reports further in this article.
Intensive care for Covid-19 patients in Gothenburg. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT
Gothenburg doctor fired after working with Covid-19 symptoms
A senior physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg has been fired after working despite having apparent Covid-19 symptoms, writes regional newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, citing investigative news agency Siren. Despite being told several times to go home, the doctor stayed, saying they had coronavirus antibodies.
The Public Health Agency estimates that people with antibodies are likely protected from serious reinfection for six months, but they are still urged to follow health and safety recommendations, which include staying at home if you have symptoms.
Thirteen people at the physician's department were infected (one patient, two family members of a patient and hospital staff) and the physician has now been reported to Sweden's healthcare watchdog IVO as a patient safety risk. It later turned out the physician had never been tested, neither for ongoing infection nor antibodies.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Photo: Jonas Dagson/TT
Which party would Swedes vote for today?
Sweden's national number crunchers Statistics Sweden are set to reveal their major party sympathy poll today, which will show which party voters preferred in November. The last one was held in May, which saw the ruling Social Democrats get a spike thanks to increased voter support during the peak of the coronavirus crisis.
But other polls have suggested since then that support is again falling for the government as Sweden continues to battle a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Statistics Sweden will publish the survey results here later today.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of the Social Democrats. Photo: Amir Nabizadeh/TT
Man who was 'kept isolated for 28 years' to be questioned today
The story of a mother who is suspected of keeping her son confined to an apartment south of Stockholm for decades, hit global headlines yesterday, and is continuing to develop in Sweden.
The son, who is now in his 40s, is set to be questioned today. After that, the prosecutor will decide whether or not to request of the court that his mother be remanded in custody – she can do this by Thursday noon at the latest, as is the standard procedure in Swedish criminal law. The mother, who is in her 70s, denies the allegations.
The man was found with sores on his legs, and had almost no teeth and limited speech ability. He was taken to hospital and his injuries are not life-threatening. His sister, who found him and said she had not been allowed to see him for 20 years, told Expressen that the mother had kept him isolated from society since he left school 28 years ago. The newspaper reports that he had not been physically locked up – and individual neighbours report seeing him outside on a few occasions – but that he was tightly controlled by the mother.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions about life in Sweden, you are always welcome to email our editorial team at [email protected].
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More than half of Sweden's ICU patients have Covid-19, for the first time since spring
The majority of patients in Sweden's intensive care units have Covid-19, which the National Board of Health and Welfare said had not been the case since spring.
Thomas Lindén, department head at the National Board of Health and Welfare, said that Sweden currently has 666 intensive care beds with ventilators, of which 464 are occupied, 237 of them Covid-19 patients. The Local reports further in this article.
Intensive care for Covid-19 patients in Gothenburg. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT
Gothenburg doctor fired after working with Covid-19 symptoms
A senior physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg has been fired after working despite having apparent Covid-19 symptoms, writes regional newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, citing investigative news agency Siren. Despite being told several times to go home, the doctor stayed, saying they had coronavirus antibodies.
The Public Health Agency estimates that people with antibodies are likely protected from serious reinfection for six months, but they are still urged to follow health and safety recommendations, which include staying at home if you have symptoms.
Thirteen people at the physician's department were infected (one patient, two family members of a patient and hospital staff) and the physician has now been reported to Sweden's healthcare watchdog IVO as a patient safety risk. It later turned out the physician had never been tested, neither for ongoing infection nor antibodies.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Photo: Jonas Dagson/TT
Which party would Swedes vote for today?
Sweden's national number crunchers Statistics Sweden are set to reveal their major party sympathy poll today, which will show which party voters preferred in November. The last one was held in May, which saw the ruling Social Democrats get a spike thanks to increased voter support during the peak of the coronavirus crisis.
But other polls have suggested since then that support is again falling for the government as Sweden continues to battle a resurgence of the coronavirus.
Statistics Sweden will publish the survey results here later today.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of the Social Democrats. Photo: Amir Nabizadeh/TT
Man who was 'kept isolated for 28 years' to be questioned today
The story of a mother who is suspected of keeping her son confined to an apartment south of Stockholm for decades, hit global headlines yesterday, and is continuing to develop in Sweden.
The son, who is now in his 40s, is set to be questioned today. After that, the prosecutor will decide whether or not to request of the court that his mother be remanded in custody – she can do this by Thursday noon at the latest, as is the standard procedure in Swedish criminal law. The mother, who is in her 70s, denies the allegations.
The man was found with sores on his legs, and had almost no teeth and limited speech ability. He was taken to hospital and his injuries are not life-threatening. His sister, who found him and said she had not been allowed to see him for 20 years, told Expressen that the mother had kept him isolated from society since he left school 28 years ago. The newspaper reports that he had not been physically locked up – and individual neighbours report seeing him outside on a few occasions – but that he was tightly controlled by the mother.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions about life in Sweden, you are always welcome to email our editorial team at [email protected].
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