SVT News has looked more closely at the mortality, mortality, for covid patients within the first 30 days after enrollment in an intensive care unit.

Of those admitted in March, 34 percent died within 30 days, according to statistics from the Swedish Intensive Care Register. In April, mortality was 19 percent and in May only four percent.

- It is hopeful and gratifying, but also requires a deeper analysis, says Björn Persson, head of operations for intensive care at Karolinska.

Two clear factors

Doctors and experts we have talked to all highlight two factors that they believe have affected: lessons learned and medicines.

- Over time, we have learned more about when and how to use respiratory therapy. That we should give higher doses of blood thinners because there is a risk of blood clotting. And that the use of cortisone seems to have positive effects, says Björn Persson.

The graphic shows the mortality within 30 days of enrollment in IVA for covid patients. Photo: SVT Grafik

Johan Styrud, chief physician at Danderyds hospital and chairman of the Stockholm Medical Association, agrees. He also highlights patient selection as a factor.

SVT has previously been able to show that the proportion of elderly covid patients on iva decreased sharply during the most intense corona weeks in April.

- If you are too old and have a lot of related illnesses, you often have no help with intensive care. We are used in Sweden to invest in all patients for almost any length of time, here they had no use for it, he says.

Intensive care physician Johnny Hillgren, who chairs the Swedish Intensive Care Register, believes that some improvement in the quality of care has taken place.

- But it would give as radical differences as these figures show, I am doubtful.

The graph shows the number of newly enrolled patients day by day and is taken from the article "Corona in intensive care" which is constantly updated. Photo: SVT

The virus can be weakened

Another theory, which has been put forward by doctors in Italy, among other things, is that the virus itself may have weakened.

- The virus itself has no intrinsic value in killing us humans, it wants to propagate and spread further, says Johnny Hillgren.

Others, however, believe that the risk of becoming seriously ill increases if you are exposed to large amounts of virus. Mortality may therefore have decreased as people become better at staying distant and protecting themselves.

- There are a lot of possible explanations - but not so many reliable answers, says Jan Albert, infection prevention professor and chief physician at Karolinska University Hospital.