Re: The Institute for Government, a bunch of non-scientists
Infection rates on their own are a poor indicator. Infections have been increasing but not exponentially. Really, the only reliable basis for comparison is excess mortality where Sweden has one of the highest rates in Europe, partly down to a disastrous situation in care homes in the spring.
They only report figures Tuesday to Friday and have press conferences on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It means there is space in the news for other pressing issues. Responsibility is delegated to the board of health which has so far relied on recommendations rather than rules. This keeps politicians from trying to score points and works fairly well in Sweden but YMMV.
Because they didn't close the schools they were able to provide data about the spread (or lack) of infection amongst children, which helped inform policy in other countries. The same applies for restaurants, etc. which they kept open though with restricted service. So, for much of the year people have been able to live fairly normal lives – though there have been restirctions – rather than the start-stop in many other countries. There has been excess mortality and the current situation is more than controversial but outcomes are still comparable to those in other countries which have used far more draconian measures.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
