The United States surpassed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths today, eight months after the pandemic first began. And here in California, the death count from COVID-19 just passed the 15,000 mark on Sunday.
But infection numbers are rising around the world, not just in the States... Except for Sweden.
The country -- of 10 million people -- is now seeing the lowest number of new cases in Europe. According to the European Center for Disease Control, Sweden reported 30.3 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. And they only have 14 patients currently in intensive care for the coronavirus.
Photo: Getty Images
But why isn't Sweden seeing that 'second wave' of COVID-19 that every other country seems to be experiencing?
Well, no one really knows yet... And health authorities in Sweden say it's just too early to tell. But some say it could be thanks to the Swedish government's realistic and sustainable approach to attacking the virus.
Unlike most countries that mandated masks, Sweden did not recommend their broad use. Instead, they put forward simple guidelines that they believed could stay in place for long periods of time.
Whatever it is, the World Health Organization is paying attention...
“We must recognize that Sweden, at the moment, has avoided the increase that has been seen in some of the other countries in Western Europe,” Catherine Smallwood, the WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, said. “I think there are lessons for that. We will be very keen on working and hearing more from the Swedish approach."
Read more on the Los Angeles Times.