Sweden and the Pandemic
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 24 September 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sweden decided not to lockdown like other countries - was it the right decision?
David Aaronovitch explores the Swedish experience of the pandemic and reveals that, for a country which didn't officially lockdown, it still introduced significant changes to everyday life, from school closures to social distancing and the cancellation of theatre shows and concerts.
He looks at how the country's economy has fared compared to similar countries, and investigates whether claims it is in a better position to generate 'herd immunity' are accurate.
Contributors:
Maddy Savage, journalist in Stockholm
Dr Emma Frans, researcher in medical epidemiology at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
Richard Milne, Nordic and Baltic Correspondent at The Financial Times
Marcus Buggert, assistant professor at the Centre for Infectious Medicine at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm,
Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Team: Richard Fenton-Smith, Bob Howard, Kirsteen Knight Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Editor: Jasper Corbett
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:10.0 | Hello, thank you for downloading the Briefing Room podcast. I'm David Aronovich. |
| 0:15.4 | This week, everyone is talking about Sweden. So how has Sweden actually done |
| 0:21.0 | during the pandemic |
| 0:22.0 | and what can we learn from it? |
| 0:24.6 | Now look, we're nowhere close |
| 0:26.0 | to herd immunity with the briefing room |
| 0:27.7 | so if you like the program |
| 0:29.1 | we need you to pass on your appreciation |
| 0:31.1 | to as many friends and family as possible. |
| 0:33.7 | Let's get that S number up, |
| 0:35.6 | that subscriptions, please. |
| 0:38.0 | Now, enough wheedling and on with the show. |
| 0:44.7 | This week, as some anti-coronavirus restrictions were reimposed across the United Kingdom, |
| 0:54.7 | a lot of people in the press and elsewhere were asking, what about Sweden? |
| 0:59.4 | So that's our question this week. |
| 1:01.4 | When it comes to beating the virus, should we be more like Sweden? |
| 1:06.3 | Step into the briefing room and let's find out. |
| 1:13.4 | It turned out this week that even Boris Johnson has recently consulted the architects of the Swedish pandemic strategy, |
| 1:21.3 | a strategy that unlike almost every other Western nation has apparently eschewed government-led lockdown. |
| 1:30.0 | Today, I want to know what he now knows. What have they done? Has it worked? And would it work here? Let's start with how it's |
| 1:37.0 | been for ordinary Swedes. Here's Stockholm resident and journalist Maddie Savage with a summary of what's |
... |
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