STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish study found that just 7.3 percent of Stockholmers developed COVID-19 antibodies by late April, which could fuel concern that a decision not to lock down Sweden against the pandemic may bring little herd immunity in the near future.

The World Health Organization has warned against pinning hopes on herd immunity. It said last week global studies had found antibodies in only 1-10 percent of the population, results in line with recent findings in Spain and France.

SternAAlbifrons wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 10:13 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 4:44 pm Sweden tops Europe COVID-19 deaths per capita over last seven days
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden, which has opted for a more open strategy in combating the virus than other European countries, has the highest number of deaths in Europe per capita from the COVID-19 disease over the last seven days, data showed.

Over the course of the pandemic Sweden still has fewer deaths per capita than the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium and France, which have all opted for lockdowns, but much higher than Nordic neighbours Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 4:44 pm At least they did mention that Sweden's open approach has beaten

most

of Europe's outcomes, hands down.

???

ExPenhMan wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 1:28 pm Preliminary tests for antibodies show low SARS-Cov 2 antibody levels in Sweden along the lines of other similar test results in other nations. Recall that we all still get colds and we all still get the flu, less so the latter due to seasonal shots.

Headline: Swedish antibody study shows long road to immunity as COVID-19 toll mounts

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish study found that just 7.3 percent of Stockholmers developed COVID-19 antibodies by late April, which could fuel concern that a decision not to lock down Sweden against the pandemic may bring little herd immunity in the near future.

The World Health Organization has warned against pinning hopes on herd immunity. It said last week global studies had found antibodies in only 1-10 percent of the population, results in line with recent findings in Spain and France.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN22W2YC

Doc67 wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 5:33 pm Well that poses the question that if Sweden, with no lockdown, still only has a population with under 10% of the population having been infected, just how contagious is this virus?

Phnom Poon wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 6:58 pm there are a couple of articles around showing that many swedes practiced 'voluntary lock down'
phone location data shows vastly reduced travel, etc, long before any mandatory restrictions

they could do this because of a decent work culture, and a civic mindset
absent in the us, and increasingly the uk

God'sGift wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 5:54 pm surely it's about time govts started banning sex between couples, as it's not fair for single people having to miss out right now

The JP Morgan report includes graphs showing that 'the vast majority of countries had decreased infection rates' after lockdowns were lifted.

Infection rates have continued to decline even once a lag period for new infections to become visible is factored in, the report says.

A second graph shows a similar effect in the US, showing that many states saw a lower rate of transmission (R) after full-scale lockdowns were ended.

The R rate shows how many people each virus patient typically infects, and some countries regard a rate below 1.0 as a key indicator that the epidemic is in retreat.

'While we often hear that lockdowns are driven by scientific models, and that there is an exact relationship between the level of economic activity and the spread of [the] virus - this is not supported by the data,' the report says.

'Indeed, virtually everywhere infection rates have declined after re-opening even after allowing for an appropriate measurement lag.