Data compiled by Our World in Data shows Sweden had the highest number of coronavirus deaths per capita in Europe over the last seven days, Reuters reports, calling the country's more relaxed pandemic strategy into question.
Sweden, where COVID-19 deaths are declining overall, opted to rely mostly on voluntary social distancing and hygiene measures during the global health crisis, keeping most restaurants, schools, and businesses open. It's unclear how much that choice contributed to Sweden's deaths per capita, which averaged 6.25 per million inhabitants between May 12 and May 19, but it's possible the policy has played a significant role.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The best books of 2024 to give this ChristmasThe Week Recommends From Percival Everett to Rachel Clarke these are the critics' favourite books from 2024
-
Parmigianino: The Vision of St Jerome – masterpiece given 'new lease of life'The Week Recommends 'Spectacularly inventive' painting is back on display at the National Gallery
-
5 unidentifiable cartoons about drones over New JerseyCartoons Artists take on national priorities, national security, and more
-
Marty Makary: the medical contrarian who will lead the FDAIn the Spotlight What Johns Hopkins surgeon and commentator Marty Makary will bring to the FDA
-
California declares bird flu emergencySpeed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study findsSpeed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes riskSpeed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 raceSpeed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burgerSpeed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soonSpeed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
