Nearly a quarter of Sweden’s population has an immigrant background
November 17, 2021
editor:
JOHN CODY - author:
REMIX NEWS STAFF
Swedish State Epidemiologist Dr. Anders Tegnel, the architect of Sweden’s unorthodox coronavirus strategy, has defended his no-lockdown approach to the pandemic, attributing the country’s death toll — which is considerably elevated compared to its Nordic neighbors — to its large migrant population.
During an
interview with The Financial Times, Tegnel discussed what he sees as the main factors which have contributed to Sweden’s COVID-19 death toll of more than 15,000, which at this point in the pandemic is higher than the combined death tolls of Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
Although critics may be quick to conclude that Sweden’s elevated death toll is due to its absence of strict lockdown measures, Tegnel says it is more complicated than that, arguing that Sweden’s population of migrants and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, which is much higher than any of its Scandinavian neighbors, has also contributed to the country’s high death toll.
“Swedish society is very different from the society in Norway and Finland, which we tend to disregard because we share a long history together and have similar languages. COVID doesn’t care about history or language, it cares about socio-economic status or migrant backgrounds, or crowded housing. That’s where Sweden stands out in a Nordic context, but not so much in an EU context,” Tegnel told the London-based newspaper.
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