The suggestion from Patrick Vallance [regarding herd immunity] has been criticised by among others the World Health Organisation, WHO, but chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell is supportive of Great Britain's corona approach and suggests that Sweden are taking a similar path.
"We (us and the brits) are very similar [in our approach] I would say.
"I have listened to what the Brits are saying, and they're saying the same things we are saying in Sweden. We are two countries that perhaps distinguish ourselves a little bit in that we, in our opinion at least, are taking a more scientific approach. The balance between politics and science for us is a bit different than it is in some other countries.
What does this mean practically?
"The whole idea is to do the right thing at the right moment. We're going to do what we can to keep the curve down. We are not going to close schools and similar until we absolutely have to.
"This is a much more appealing line of thought than the violent measures we see in some other countries. There's a clearly voiced risk that all they're doing is to create higher peaks [for the infection]. If you put up a dam in a river you might be able to stem the flood up until a certain level, but over time you'll build up pressure and once it goes beyond the hard limit you'll have a massive flow. It's better to let it slowly through. That way you're able to control and handle it so it won't hurt society beyond the bare minimum.
"We've been very careful about using that phrase (herd immunity) publicly because we're aware that it sounds a bit like you've given up, and that is not at all what this is about.
WHO demand more action and claim that this is a fire that can't be left burning?
"It's similar to forest fires and other things: if you can get the fire under control and let it burn slowly it'll burn out eventually."
In order for Sweden to reach herd immunity six million people would have to contract the virus.
"Yes, but at the same time we need to remember that the absolute majority of those people won't get very sick at all. We don't know the exact size of this so called dark figure, but many things suggest that it is very, very large.
"Even if it sounds like a lot there might not be more than one out that 60 percent who'll get seriously ill, and maybe five or six of them end up needing care. If we're able to stretch these five-six percent over eight to ten months it will be manageable for the healthcare system."
In Great Britain they'll soon begin to isolate the sick and the elderly. Will de take a similar approach in Sweden?
"We've discused this at length too; Partly in ensuring that the workers at retirement homes and care facilities stay healthy and are getting tested regularly so they won't bring in the disease, partly by putting a stop to outside visits at those facilities. So I think we're talking about the same thing essentially."
