Egads, this BS again?
No, it isn't. Case rates and ICU admissions are rising quickly. They have the 5th highest number of total cases in the European Union. There is no sign that they have COVID under control
Tegnell was confident at the end of August 2020 that the worst was behind them. "Our prognosis is, No, we don’t really see a huge second wave coming on." The presumption that they'd reach herd immunity faster than their neighbors? Yeah, that didn't happen. So much for that theory.
They are doing poorly compared to their Nordic neighbors, who have similar cultures, climates, and demographics. Denmark and Finland had only a 1% excess mortality rate; Norway had a
0% excess mortality rate. 7.9% excess deaths is not something to brag about.
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They're a total disaster compared to nations that actually took lockdowns seriously and were thus able to open quickly, notably South Korea, China, New Zealand, Singapore.... Which have had almost no deaths.
Despite simultaneously hinting at and denying herd immunity as a goal, they're doing poorly with the total number of vaccinations.
Their economy isn't doing much better than anyone else, either. GDP fell by around 3% (same as other Nordic nations), unemployment soared to 10% along with the virus surges (one mid-2020, one now).
That's actually not much of a surprise, because
in many respects, Swedes didn't act that much differently than other EU nations. Photos of restaurants and bars are a bit deceptive, as mobility other data shows that most Swedes drastically cut back on going out and going places; most high schools and universities switched to virtual classes. (There were also lots of people gathering in those other nations when and where they shouldn't.) The government still limited many activities, such as concerts; they also locked down facilities for seniors, after the death rate in those facilities soared in 2020.
So yeah, it's not surprising that a few differences (less masks, more bars, insufficiently protecting seniors) winds up making Sweden far worse off than very similar nations.