‘Virus may have peaked’ in Stockholm, but danger isn’t over, Swedish health agency says

Around one-third of Stockholm’s million people will have had the novel coronavirus by the start of May, according to Sweden’s public health agency. The disease may have already passed its peak in the capital, it said on Tuesday. Stockholm accounts for around half of Sweden’s 15,300 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and a high proportion of its 1,765 deaths, including among very elderly people living in care homes, Reuters said.

The health agency said its modeling suggested the rate of new infections in the city had peaked on April 15, although a decline was not yet evident from its data. “Already a bit more than a week ago, the peak was reached, at least according to this model, and we can expect fewer cases each day,” Anders Wallensten, deputy state epidemiologist at the agency, told reporters.

Measures taken by Sweden to stop the spread of the coronavirus have been less severe than in many other countries. However, while some states are beginning to ease the most restrictive measures, Wallensten said it was too early for Sweden to change course.

“We are looking at when it will be possible to ease different restrictions… but as we see it, we are on a plateau, the danger isn’t over,” Wallensten said. One advantage of Sweden’s relatively low-key strategy is that it could be maintained for longer, he added.