STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden is preparing new measures to try to stem the resurgence of COVID-19 cases as the coronavirus strain first detected in Britain spreads quickly, said the architect of Sweden’s pandemic strategy in Tuesday.
Sweden avoided blockages during the pandemic. But the figures from the health statistics agency on Tuesday showed 10,933 new cases of coronavirus reported since Friday, an increase of 9,458 in the corresponding period of the previous week.
“The British variant is increasing very fast,” chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told a news conference. “This variant, with a very high probability, will be the dominant one in a few weeks or a month.”
“We have a package (of national measures) in preparation that will be presented tomorrow,” he said, without giving details.
The British coronavirus variant is considered by scientists to be a more infectious strain. Cases of South African and Brazilian strains have also been detected, but they are not spreading rapidly, Tegnell said.
Concerns about a possible third wave of the pandemic have grown in Sweden in recent weeks, as the number of new infections has increased and the new variants have spread.
The center-left government laid the groundwork for possible blockade measures to an extent never seen before during the pandemic.
Several of Sweden’s largest regions, including Stockholm on Tuesday, have also taken steps, such as recommending the use of masks in stores, workplaces and public transport. This is at odds with the health agency’s previous reluctance to broadly endorse such movements due to limited evidence of their effectiveness.
Sweden, a country of 10 million, recorded 12,713 deaths from COVID-19. The per capita mortality rate is much higher than that of its Nordic neighbors, but lower than in several European countries that have opted for blockades.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard and Timothy Heritage)