Swedish King says country has ‘failed’ in COVID-19 response

Sweden’s King has delivered an unusually harsh assessment of the country’s COVID-19 experience, after a controversial approach to the pandemic.

People walk past shops under Christmas decorations in Stockholm, the epicentre of Sweden’s second wave. Picture: Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP

It was once hailed as an alternative model for how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, but Sweden’s King has given a damning assessment of his state’s laissez faire response to COVID-19.

King Carl XVI Gustaf told Swedish broadcaster SVT his country had “failed” to protect the elderly during the pandemic.

“I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died and that is terrible. It is something we all suffer with,” the monarch said in a documentary looking back at the year.

“You think of all the family members who have not been able to say goodbye to their deceased family members,” he said.

“I think it is a heavy and traumatic experience not to be able to say a warm goodbye.”

“The Swedish people have suffered enormously in difficult conditions.”

“Lately, it has felt more obvious, it has crept closer and closer. That’s not what you want.”

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King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Picture: Michael Campanella/Getty Images

Sweden famously chose not to impose a hard lockdown during the northern spring of 2020, opting to limit large public gatherings and urge people to modify their behaviour instead – including not visiting care homes. It also refused to mandate mask wearing.

The country experienced a sharp spike in deaths in the first wave followed by a lull in August and September. However the state has been forced to put new restrictions in place over the winter months amid a deadly second wave that has threatened to overwhelm hospitals.

The government is now preparing a “pandemic law” that would allow ministries to limit the number of people in public places and change business hours by law.

The monarch’s comments come after an independent commission into the country’s handling of the virus found that elderly were left vulnerable by major shortcoming and authorities were underprepared to meet the demands of the virus.

Sweden has seen nearly 8000 deaths from COVID-19 and has recorded more than 350,000 cases so far.

Over 90 per cent of coronavirus deaths have been among those aged 70 and up, and nearly half of all deaths have been in retirement homes.

Sweden’s approach has divided critics, but the public remains broadly supportive. Picture: Fredrik SANDBERG / TT News Agency / AFP

Sweden has refused a hard lockdown but has seen a high number of deaths. Picture: Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP.

The strongly worded statement is out of character for the King whose role is mainly ceremonial.

Swedes have been largely supportive of state virus expert Anders Tegnell despite his controversial approach, but a poll published this week showed the number of people with “high confidence” in the public health agency had declined from 68 per cent in October to 52 per cent in December.

Stockholm is the current centre of the second wave, with members of the public urged to come forward to help with the virus response.

Lars Falk, a doctor at an intensive care unit at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, told AFP the second wave had hit much harder than they expected.

“We got three different scenarios from the Public Health Agency this summer. We prepared for the worst, and it turned out twice as bad,” Falk told AFP.

Health officials in the country have stuck by their response – saying it is still too early to tell which approach is best.

Tegnell said earlier this year he still believes that Sweden will outperform other countries in Europe.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has also said it is too early for a final assessment, and many people underestimated the second wave.

“I think most in the profession did not see such a wave incoming, there was instead talk of different clusters,” he said.