COVID-19 is increasing in Swedish cities as Delta outbreaks dominate
STOCKHOLM, July 23 (Reuters) – Cases of covid -19 have increased in Sweden’s capitals with the more contagious delta appearing to be the dominant variant in the country, the health authorities said on Friday, even though it increased infection levels nationally.
Sweden reported 1855 new cases of COVID-19 last week, an increase of 24% compared to the previous week. About a quarter of the new cases were linked to travel abroad, says the health authority.
“The number of cases nationally of covid-19 continues to be at a low level, but an increase is seen in all metropolitan regions,” the authority said in a statement, adding that 75% of Sweden’s adult population had now received at least one dose of vaccine.
After suffering a third wave in the spring, the rate of infection, hospitalizations and deaths in the disease dropped rapidly during the early summer with vaccine rollout and warmer weather that has been shown to have helped reduce the spread.
Sweden pushed forward last week by easing pandemic restrictions, but the government also urged citizens to adhere to social distance recommendations before spreading new variants of the virus. Read more
The Nordic country has mainly relied on voluntary measures to stop the spread of infections, although restrictions on opening hours for restaurants and restrictions on crowds in places such as shopping centers have also been applied regularly.
Reporting by Colm Fulton; editing by Niklas Pollard
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