In a major interview with Dagens Nyheter, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell gives his view on the high death rates at the initial stage of the pandemic in Sweden.
He points out that it can be explained by several factors.
But mainly, according to Tegnell, it is because the flu season 2019 was very mild and that many fragile and sick people, who would normally have died of the flu, survived.
Instead, the latter died of covid-19, he claims, referring to a new report from the World Health Organization WHO.
- The new report shows that there is a strong link between a low excess mortality in influenza and a high excess mortality in covid-19.
And vice versa, says Anders Tegnell to DN.
The same trend in several countries
The reason why Sweden stands out compared to its Nordic neighbors can be found in statistics from the European Infection Control Agency, which show that Norway and Finland were hit harder by influenza in the months before the corona pandemic, says Anders Tegnell.
- If many people die of the flu in the winter, fewer people will die in heat waves next summer.
In this case, it was covid-19 that caused many to die, he tells DN, and continues:
- What has now been seen is that the countries that have had a fairly low mortality in their influenza in the last two, three years, such as Sweden, have a very high excess mortality in covid-19.
While those who had a high flu mortality rate, such as Norway, during the last two winters, they have fairly low covid mortality.
The same trend has been seen in several countries.
This may not be the whole explanation but part of it.