Intervention strategies against COVID-19 and their estimated impact on Swedish healthcare capacity

Jasmine M Gardner; Lander Willem; Wouter van der Wijngaart; Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin; Nele Brusselaers; Peter Kasson

COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly around the globe with a substantial effect on global morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization. It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020, at which time almost 1000 deaths were reported in Europe with confirmed community transmission in multiple European countries. 1 In addition to marshalling therapeutic options, countries have adopted a range of non-pharmaceutical public health measures to reduce transmission. These have been broadly characterized as suppressive approaches, which aim to stop transmission through a mix of targeted and untargeted social measures, and mitigation approaches, which aim to slow the spread and shield vulnerable populations without ultimately interrupting transmission. 2 3 Countries such as China and Singapore give examples of rapidly introduced suppressive strategies, while Sweden is the most prominent example of mitigation-limiting the extent of social distancing and economically disruptive interventions while still aiming to slow the spread sufficiently to allow for an effective medical response. 3 4 Studying the Swedish strategy and its health implications thus yields important lessons for global public health policy.