FHM Press Conference 9 July 2020

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrFOihWYXeA&list=PLLqBo3UjMccAyAkJ9uiJkQpPjDYUoWlHp&index=1

Summary

Socialstyrelsen: “Only 3 out of 290 municipalities are experiencing a serious impact [due to the pandemic], citing staffing concerns.”

Carlson: 

“The pandemic, primarily or at least for the most part, is right now affecting non-risk groups, younger people… younger people aren’t heeding our recommendations.”

“The threat level is high. This is due to that we still have a substantial contagion effect, despite that it is spreading right now amongst groups that don’t think they may get infected.”

“Hard to say” about tracking the number of infected citizens

“Still not ready with more extensive analyses” about herd immunity

Socialstyrelsen: “Only 3 out of 290 municipalities are experiencing a serious impact [due to the pandemic], citing staffing concerns.”

Carlson: 

“The pandemic, primarily or at least for the most part, is right now affecting non-risk groups, younger people… younger people aren’t heeding our recommendations.”

“The threat level is high. This is due to that we still have a substantial contagion effect, despite that it is spreading right now amongst groups that don’t think they may get infected.”

“Hard to say” about tracking the number of infected citizens

“Still not ready with more extensive analyses” about herd immunity

Debriefings

FHM – Johan Carlson, Director-general

  • “The global outlook is a cause for concern.”
  • “Rising number of infected [globally]”
  • “High number of unrecorded cases”
  • “Brighter outlook in Sweden”
  • “We are noting a fairly rapid decrease in new cases.”
  • “Our previous assessment has been that the rising number of cases was due to regions delaying the rolling out of testing, as well as calls for the public to test themselves.”
  • “I think that it’s worth pointing out that we are witnessing a contagion effect that is primarily, or at least for the most part, affecting non-risk groups, [so] younger people. And that older people and those in risk groups are maintaining social distancing, generally speaking.”
  • “Younger people are not heeding our guidelines.”

Socialstyrelsen – Thomas Lindén, avdelningschef

  • “We can sum it up by saying that we’re noting a high, yet decreasing, load on the healthcare system.”
  • “Not exclusively but to a great degree, we’re continuing to see small tourist-heavy areas that are worried [about the spread]. And this applies to both the short- and long-term.”
  • “There have been no reports from any municipality about critical impact on operations, based on the criteria that we’re monitoring.”
  • “Only 3 out of 290 municipalities are experiencing a serious impact [due to the pandemic], citing staffing concerns.”
  • “We’re working with the Swedish Armed Forces to mobilise resources, such as medical equipment, to affected regions. But our assessment has been that there is no need currently.”
  • “At the onset of this pandemic, there were questions about pharmaceuticals that could affect the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, ie. [angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)] enzymes, and that this would increase the risk of covid-19 infection. The results from statistical studies doesn’t support this. [We’ve found] that there is confirmed by  from Lombardy in Italy.”

MSB – Anneli Bergholm Söder, Head of Operations

“[Apart the healthcare system, we are working on the] need to increase readiness, ahead of autumn, with more protective equipment for activities that are critical to the general public.”

Q & A

Johanna Sederblad, TT – “When will you tone down the rhetoric? How can [the general public] make sense of your mixed messages? Is there an imminent threat?”

FHM: “The threat level is high and this is due to that we still have a fairly substantial contagion effect, even if it is happening right now in groups that may not need to fear the risk of getting critically ill.”

“The risk is high. It’s also high, as I’ve said before, because of the randomness factor. [What I mean by this is that] is that [the virus spreading in clusters] is not like an outbreak of the flu, randomness dictates that any group can be infected by a person and this entails then a wider contagion effect.”

Sederblad: “How should the public make sense of the mixed messages?”

FHM: “What is being implemented now is showing results and must be maintained, as we’re still in a pressing times.”

Ulla Danné, TV4 Nyheterna – “Do you have any idea of how many people are carrying the virus right now?”

FHM: “That’s hard to say, but we believe that we’re noting a strong decline in the spread there.”

Ebba Thornéus, Aftonbladet – “There are multiple reports that we cannot rule out that the virus isn’t airborne. As a private citizen, should one be worried?”

FHM: “No, … it was noted at the onset that there could be an element of airborne spread in special cases. But we maintain our position, supported by the WHO, that this is a droplet-spread virus, otherwise the situation would have been different.”

Linnea [surname is unclear from the recording], tysk TV – “How many tests are being performed per week now?”

FHM: “Close to 80,000 [Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)] tests have been carried out.”

Johan Ahlander, Reuters – “Are there any updates about [your recent claims regarding] herd immunity? Is there a more comprehensive picture now?”

FHM: “The answer is no, we’re not ready yet. More exhaustive analyses are needed. We only really have the [Karolinska Institute] study that shows that immunity can be, or is likely to be, an important factor. But we’re not there yet.”

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