On April 25, 223 patients were cared for at IVA in Stockholm, while 91 were admitted to Västra Götaland, according to statistics from the Swedish Intensive Care Register compiled by SVT. On June 23, the corresponding numbers were 46 and 45 patients respectively.

- We have not had a rapid decline as in Stockholm, but we also had a slower rise. I think that fits quite well with how we thought and planned, says Peter Dahm, Head of Operations at An-Op-Iva at Sahlgrenska University Hospital Mölndal and iva resource in the Pandemic group in Västra Götaland.

- We think it's good that we had a more subdued curve and not such a big peak.

No big margin

He points out that it is difficult to compare developments in the two regions, as they differ in terms of, for example, geography and population density. In Stockholm, the spread of infection also gained momentum earlier, while Västra Götaland had more time to prepare.

- We have always estimated that we are about two weeks after Stockholm. Then there are also different forecasts in different counties, says Peter Dahm.

Björn Persson is the head of operations for IVA i at Karolinska Hospital in Huddinge and Solna in Stockholm, which takes care of the largest proportion of covid patients who need intensive care in the region. He believes that patients are getting fewer because he may be due to a different mode of infection and partly because care has become better and that risk groups may have become better at protecting themselves.

- At the same time, we get more and more ordinary intensive care patients as society opens up.

"Don't lose garden now"

He says the situation is under control right now, but that for example midsummer celebrations and demonstrations are causing concern. It is also not possible to say whether the trend with fewer covid patients on iva is continuing.

- Will the new peaks come now when we have more ordinary patients, it will be extremely tough.

The trend has also been positive in Västra Götaland lately, but Peter Dahm also wants to point out the importance of continuing to follow the restrictions:

- Do not drop the garden now, but keep apart and hold together. We must not relax even if we want to, there is a great desire in the population about it but we who work in IVA see the drastic results of a covid infection.