Sweden was chastised for their covid-19 response by the rest of the world, but their critics have fallen notably silent as 2020 grinds on. Not only did Sweden have minimal lockdown and restrictions, but the health of their people - and their economy - has fared better than everywhere else!
I've been writing about Sweden since the beginning of the pandemic, because their response to the virus didn't follow in lockstep with the rest of the world. No lockdown? Very few restrictions? Their chief medical officers weren't spouting the same stuff ours in Canada were, like "flatten the curve" and "we are all in this together - apart".
As Sweden's deaths rose, their critics shrieked "SEE? Sweden has one of the worst death rates in the world! They lose!"
And then, their death rate started to fall. And fall, and fall, to essentially zero, where it remains to this day.
No second wave, no lockdown, minor restrictions are being lifted. Almost no deaths, week after week. Sweden was right!
Here's the rest of us:
Ouch.
10 weeks ago, I pointed out Sweden had fallen to #6 on the list of countries by death toll per capita:
Now have a look where they stand:
And how is their economy?
With no lockdown and minimal restrictions, restaurants and bars open, people going about life as normal, the Swedish economy has done fairly well. Nowadays, trade is global, so the global shutdown has certainly not helped the economy. But they haven't had to devalue their currency the way we have in Canada and the USA, in order to pay for people to sit at home.
And their unemployment figures just came in: "Sweden's unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in September 2020, from 6.0 percent in the same period last year, as the coronavirus crisis hit the labor market." (source)
Now here's unemployment in the USA:
Regardless if you look at official numbers (in red) or proper data (the way it used to be calculated, in blue), it's clear the USA suffered a far greater economic impact than Sweden did. It's not even close.
All of Sweden's outcomes are better. They lost less people, they didn't get locked down, their economy is healthy, and there's no possibility of a second wave.
I haven't forgotten how loudly their critics proclaimed Sweden's imminent failure.
Here in Canada, we are poor, unhealthy, locked down, and a second wave of lockdowns and restrictions are coming.
If only we had done things like Sweden!
DRutter
