Sweden 'surprisingly slow' at achieving herd immunity, study finds

Sweden’s state epidemiologist has said the country has been “surprisingly slow” at achieving herd immunity. The death toll in Sweden passed 5,000 on Wednesday and the Scandinavian nation has one of the highest mortality rates in the world at 487 per 1m population, approximately ten times higher than neighbouring Norway. Yet an analysis by Werlabs AB of 50,000 tests showed that only 14 per cent of those living in the Stockholm region tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. In Bergamo, considered to be the epicentre of Italy’s deadly outbreak, about 57 per cent of people had antibodies. The UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance estimated that 60 per cent of people would need to be infected to achieve herd immunity from the novel coronavirus. Sweden chose not to implement a strict lockdown, running contrary to many other countries worldwide. Schools, shops and restaurants have all remained open during the course of 2020.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3fH4hDB