The spread of COVID-19 is increasing again in the Swedish capital. In the last week, the spread of infection has increased by 40 percent. Among those newly infected, people under the age of 30 prevail. And at the same time, hospitalizations are increasing. “The developments are worrisome. We’re moving in the completely wrong direction,” says infection control physician Maria Rotzen Jostlund.
The spread of COVID-19 in Stockholm shows no signs of slowing, and between August 3 and 9, 1,830 new cases of infection were detected. This is a 40 percent increase from the week before. More than 90 percent are infected with the so-called delta variant.
According to infection control physician Maria Rotzen Jostlund, most cases are among young people under the age of 30, many of whom are still unvaccinated.
“We’re seeing the highest incidence among 20- to 29-year-olds and an increase among 18- to 19-year-olds. This group of people has only recently started getting vaccinated and most have only been able to get their first dose. There’s not even a theoretical possibility that they already have adequate protection. But on the other hand, we see that the infection has started to spread among 30- to 39-year-olds. That’s why we want everyone to make vaccination a priority, even during the summer vacation season. Things are going in the wrong direction. We’ve been seeing an increase in the disease for weeks now. The pandemic is not over yet. Now it’s not old people who are getting sick, and very few people are dying from coronavirus,” says Maria Rotzen Ostlund, an infection control doctor in the Stockholm region.
Currently, more than half of all Stockholm residents over the age of 18, or 51.7 percent of the capital’s population, have been vaccinated with two doses. But the increase in the spread of infection is still happening at the same time that the Swedish Public Health Agency loosened coronavirus restrictions as of July 15.
