Sweden has beaten coronavirus by refusing to shut the country down and achieving herd immunity, according to an expert.
The Scandinavian nation was the only country in Europe not to introduce strict lockdown measures at the start of the pandemic.
But scientists believe that this may have helped it avoid a second wave of Covid-19 as it continues to record its lowest number of cases since March – with just 28 infections per 100,000 people.
This figure is less than half of the UK’s own infection rate of 69 per 100,000 people.
Professor Kim Sneppen, an expert in the spread of coronavirus at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, said that Sweden might have beaten the pandemic.
He told Denmark’s Politiken newspaper: ‘There is some evidence that the Swedes have built up a degree of immunity to the virus which, along with what else they are doing to stop the spread, is enough to control the disease.
‘Perhaps, the epidemic is over there.’
He said that the virus may now have run out of steam.
He added: ‘That is what they have said.
‘On the positive side, they may now be finished with the epidemic.’
Sweden was initially criticised at the start of the outbreak after recording a spike in its mortality rates which was five times that of Denmark and ten times that of Norway and Finland.
Number of deaths per 24 hours peaked in April at 115 with more than half in care homes.
But its seven-day average for coronavirus-related deaths is now zero.
Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who has become the face of the no-lockdown strategy, said in a recent interview that voluntary hygiene measures had been ‘just as effective’ as complete shutdowns.
Sweden kept open schools for children under 16, banned gatherings of more than 50 people and told over-70s and vulnerable groups to self-isolate.
Shops, bars and restaurants stayed open throughout the pandemic and the wearing of masks has not been advised by the government.
‘The rapidly declining cases we see in Sweden right now is another indication that you can get the number of cases down quite a lot in a country without having a complete lockdown,’ he previously told Unherd.
Source: Daily Mail