Sweden’s coronavirus positive – New daily case record

Sweden’s King Charles Gustav XVI and Queen Sylvia have been diagnosed with Covid-19, the Palace announced today.

“The king and queen, who are fully vaccinated and with the third dose, have mild symptoms and are feeling well given the conditions,” the Palace said in a statement.

At the same time, the country set a new daily record of Covid-19 cases, recording 11,507 cases on December 30, according to the data of the Health Service announced today, as the fourth wave of the virus sweeps the country and puts new pressure on the health system.

Data on day-to-day infections are usually somewhat revised, as any delayed additional cases are added to the national total for a given day. The previous record of 11,376 cases was set at the end of December 2020.

The new wave of Covid-19 cases, in part due to the more contagious Omicron variant, hit Sweden later than its Scandinavian neighbors but in recent weeks has resulted in a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations.

For the four-day period from Friday to Monday, 42,969 new cases and 20 deaths were recorded, according to the data. Sweden has attracted international attention by rejecting the measure of severe quarantine throughout the pandemic.

The Health Service expects that Omicron, which is more easily transmitted than other variants, will cause a new peak of daily cases around mid-January.

The country stepped up measures for public gatherings last month and urged anyone who can, from work at home, to work to curb the spread of the virus.

Bars and restaurants will only serve seated customers and the public will also have to sit at larger events.

Source: AMPE