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Over the past few days, as the economic implications of South Africa’s lockdown become clearer, many have pointed to Sweden as an example of how to successfully handle the coronavirus pandemic.

The country has been steadfast in its refusal to enact a lockdown, rather calling on citizens to practice safe physical distancing and other measures of their own accord.

Whilst their freedom to go about their daily lives is enviable, the number of confirmed cases and deaths have risen steadily in recent weeks, garnering mixed reviews.

That death toll continues to rise, reports Newshub:

The chief of Sweden’s health agency says the country’s mounting death toll “came as a surprise” despite no lockdown being implemented.

Sweden has come under fire for not putting a lockdown in place, with the death toll now 10th highest in the world per capita.

Health agency chief epidemiologist Dr Anders Tegnell says Sweden has closed down parts of society rather than shut the whole country…

Sweden’s death rate per 100,000 people is 27.2 compared to neighbour Denmark where it’s three times lower, and in Finland and Norway it’s more than six times lower…

“I’m not saying we were successful in all different ways and I mean, our death rate is something we really worry a lot about.”

Tegnell made those comments during an appearance on Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show, which you can watch here.

Sweden’s death toll, at the time of writing, is 2 941.

There really isn’t blueprint for how to handle the coronavirus that fits each country, other than the need for extensive, and rapid, testing to be carried out.

Anybody who thinks what would work in Sweden, with one of the world’s highest standards of living and education, and a healthcare system that is far better prepared than others, would work in countries with gross inequality, like South Africa, needs a serious reality check.

Still, with so many economies suffering, those desperate to get back to work are using Sweden as proof that lockdowns are overly restrictive.

According to Goldman Sachs analysts, however, Sweden’s soft approach is not one that should be copied by other nations.

Forbes reporting:

…compared to the death rate (per million citizens) in other countries including the U.K. and Italy, Sweden’s situation looks more favorable, especially as Sweden’s top epidemiologist says there are signs the infection rate has plateaued. In addition, the long-term economic damage is unlikely to be as bad as its Nordic neighbors.

Despite many around the world looking upon Sweden’s approach as a route out of restrictive lockdowns, Goldman analysts warn it cannot be copied like-for-like. That’s because of the relatively unique demographics in Sweden.

“Its population density is about half that of Italy, and Sweden has a high proportion of single-occupancy households, and a relatively low proportion of multi-generational households. The Swedish experience therefore cannot be extrapolated to support a swift reopening elsewhere,” said Goldman.

Therein lies the crux.

Sweden is in a position to take far greater risks than a country like ours, because they would be far better prepared to handle any ensuing fallout.

Our healthcare sector needed time to prepare, at the same time that we tried to flatten the curve, whereas theirs was equipped to handle cases from the get-go.

We know that our government needs to find a way, and find a way soon, to get the wheels of the economy turning, and some have warned that lengthening the lockdown period could lead to a “humanitarian disaster to dwarf COVID-19”.

Drawing comparisons between Sweden’s approach and ours is a false equivalency, because the difference between our situation and theirs is day and night.

[sources:newshub&forbes]