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The headline looked pretty ominous, but because I’m so accustomed to ominous looking headlines going nowhere sensible, I took several deep breaths before clicking through to read the article.
Let me be honest, I knew before I clicked through that it would be fraught with nonsense. The headline just told me so. I’m sure you’ll agree
Covid 19 coronavirus: Sweden records its deadliest month in 27 years after shunning lockdown
Yes, of course, it’s the NZ Herald and perhaps the less said about that the better. Why they persist in publishing garbage from journalists overseas who are even less reliable than their own is beyond me. Just a few days ago I wrote about news.com.au and questioned why they write such misleading nonsense and why the NZ Herald would publish it.
Most of the population has the attention span of a gnat and won’t get past the headline and that’s why we’re constantly hearing that “Sweden is now in trouble because they didn’t lock down”.
The rest of Scandinavia is of course doing so much better but more about that in a moment.
According to the author, one Phoebe Loome:
“Sweden has recorded its deadliest month in 27 years after the Government refused to implement strict social distancing measures to control the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The country, which opted for a soft social distancing approach, generating worldwide attention, released statistics on Monday indicating more people died in April than in any other month since 1993.”
“A total of 10,458 deaths were recorded in the country in April, Statistics Sweden said. It’s the largest number of deaths in a month since December 1993, when the total death toll was 11,057.”
I’m no mathematician but even I can see that 11,057 back in 1993 is more than 10,458 in April 2020 and obviously it’s close. But I struggle with the point of the story. The total death toll from coronavirus which covers several months is 3,698.
The April 2020 figures are 10,458 (total deaths) which is actually fewer by 599 than the 11,057 from 1993 and if you take into account that the population of Sweden has increased by over two million since then, it has even less relevance.
Other than as a statistical note for the Swedish census, why does this figure as a headline anywhere? What am I missing?
“The Swedish approach to the pandemic been [sic] criticised within the country and overseas, particularly as the number of deaths has far exceeded those in neighbouring Nordic countries, which have all imposed more restrictive measures.”
Ahhhh of course, there it is: The narrative has to be that the rest of the world that locked down is good and has done the right thing and Sweden that didn’t lock down is bad. And look out, because boy are they going to pay for it.
Wrong again. Sweden has twice the population of its Nordic neighbours so it’s no surprise that their figures are higher, but that doesn’t fit the strange narrative – whatever it is, and idiot reporters keep writing idiot stories and even bigger idiot publishers keep publishing them as though they have some value.
Someone please stop this mad world and let me get off!
Just for the record:
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