Sweden sees no signs so far, herd immunity stops virus

Photographer: Mikael Sjoberg / Bloomberg

There is little evidence that herd immunity helps Sweden fight the coronavirus, according to the country’s leading epidemiologist.

“The issue of herd immunity is difficult,” Anders Tegnell said at a briefing in Stockholm on Tuesday. “We are not seeing any signs of immunity in the population which is currently slowing the infection.”

Swedes have been more exposed to the virus than their neighbors elsewhere in the Nordic region, and one in three Stockholmer tested contains antibodies, figures show published this week. It was after the country chose to oppose a lockdown, relying instead on voluntary measures.

Tegnell has in the past said collective immunity was difficult to measure and even questioned official figures. Swedish authorities have made it clear that immunity is not a political goal, but the country’s exposure to the virus makes it an obvious test case for observing the theory.

OECD study

In a recent OECD study, Sweden consistently ranked among the hardest-hit countries in Europe, as measured by the relative rates of death and Covid infection. It was also the slowest to contain the transmission.

Sweden was recently forced to recalibrate its approach against the virus, with the daily rate of cases exceeding 7,000. In what Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called an “unprecedented” step earlier this month, the Swedes will no longer be free to gather in public in groups of more than eight. The sale of alcohol is now also prohibited after 10 p.m.

Lofven used a rare televised speech on Sunday to implore his countrymen to do more. “The health and lives of people are still in danger, and the danger is increasing,” he said.

Vaccine

The new restrictions come amid warnings that Swedish intensive care beds are filling up quickly. Meanwhile, authorities in the country warn against placing too much emphasis on a possible future vaccine.

“We are still seeing an increase in the number of patients who need intensive care and care,” Thomas Linden, head of department at the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, told Tuesday’s briefing. “The fact that there is a vaccine in a few months should not be taken as an indication of neglect with the measurements.”

“In a third wave, the health care system will be even more strained than it has been so far,” he said.

(Add the Prime Minister’s speech. A previous version was corrected to show that the daily rate of cases exceeded 7,000)