This is shown by SVT Nyheter's analysis of the reports that the regions' infection control units sent to the Swedish Public Health Agency between 21 September and 28 October.
In total, there are 34 outbreaks in nursing homes.
At least 388 employees and users have been infected with covid-19.
"We need to do much more"
According to SKR, Sweden's Municipalities and Regions, the reason is the recent increased societal infection.
- We have 220,000 people working in elderly care and many relatives.
It is not possible to completely keep the infection away from elderly care, says Greger Bengtsson who is the coordinator for elderly care at SKR.
But with 400 infected in just a few weeks, do you think you have done enough?
- I think we would need to do much more.
I'm very worried that this will continue to increase.
Therefore, we would like to see legal opportunities to introduce a restraining order on nursing homes and legal opportunities to isolate infected demented people from the other residents, says Greger Bengtsson.
The number of infections in different places may be more than what has been reported.
The figures are based solely on the information on outbreaks that the infection control units know and have investigated.
Larger clusters
However, the reporters have captured several cases of major cluster infections in nursing homes.
In five of the outbreaks, at least 15 people became infected.
In one case, as many as 28 employees and 13 elderly people.
- It is of course unfortunate, every such spread of infection in that environment is a risk of people becoming very ill or dying, says state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell at the Public Health Agency.
At the same time, he states that it is good that you now find the infected through extended testing.
- It is a good sign that we catch so many.
Because it is much better than us suddenly discovering that we have an increased mortality rate in this environment.
And that does not look like it at all, so far at least, says Anders Tegnell.