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In Stats: How the coronavirus outbreak is affecting your part of Stockholm

The Local Sweden
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In Stats: How the coronavirus outbreak is affecting your part of Stockholm
The Rinkeby suburb is one of the areas worst affected in Stockholm. Photo: Bertil Ericson/TT

The coronavirus outbreak appears to be hitting some of Stockholm's most vulnerable suburbs the hardest, according to new figures released by regional health authorities.

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A total of 3,143 people have been infected with the new coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, in Stockholm since the start of the outbreak – the region worst affected by the virus in Sweden so far.

Stockholm health authorities have now released new, and more detailed, figures showing the extent to which the infection has spread in the Stockholm region's municipalities and the city's districts.

Rinkeby-Kista, a suburb in northern Stockholm, is the worst affected with 238 confirmed cases. That's the equivalent of 47 per 10,000 people, more than the regional average of 13 per 10,000.

Nearby Spånga-Tensta follows with 37 cases per 10,000 people, or 144 confirmed infections in total.

Scroll down for a full list of Stockholm's districts and municipalities.

"We can now see that the infection is spreading throughout Stockholm county. We have previously reported an over-representation of the number of infected persons per 10,000 inhabitants mainly in the districts Spånga-Tensta and Rinkeby-Kista. Unfortunately, that seems to continue," said Stockholm infectious disease doctor Per Follin in a statement on Tuesday.

The association for Somali-Swedish medical doctors in Sweden was last month the first to raise the alarm of coronavirus-linked deaths in socio-economically troubled northern Stockholm suburbs, with cramped housing, several generations living in the same apartment, a worse level of public health, and a shortage of information in several languages in the early days of the outbreak raised as possible factors.

Stockholm authorities said they had launched a major coronavirus information campaign aimed at residents in Spånga-Tensta and Rinkeby-Kista on March 18th, with information in 26 languages sent to for example shopping centres, businesses and representatives of religious organisations.

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What should you be doing to help reduce the rate of infection?


In Sweden, the official advice requires everyone to:
  • Stay at home if you have any cold- or flu-like symptoms, even if they are mild and you would normally continue life as normal. Stay at home until you have been fully symptom-free for at least two days.
     
  • Practise good hygiene, by regularly and thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water, using hand sanitiser when that's not possible, and covering any coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
     
  • Keep distance from all other people when in public places. That includes shops, parks, museums, and on the street, for example. The World Health Organisation recommends keeping at least a 1.5-2 metre distance.
     
  • Avoid large gatherings, including parties, weddings, and other activities.
     
  • Work from home if you can. Employers have been asked to ensure this happens where possible.
     
  • Avoid all non-essential travel, both within and outside Sweden. That includes visits to family, planned holidays, and any other trips that can be avoided.
     
  • If you have to travel, avoid busy times such as rush hour if you can. This reduces the number of people on public transport and makes it easier for people to keep their distance.
     
  • If you are over 70 or belong to a high-risk group, you should stay at home and reduce all social contacts. Avoid going to the shops (get groceries delivered or try to find someone who can help you), but you can go outside if you keep distance from other people. Read more about the help available to those in risk groups here.
     
  • By following these precautions, we can all help to protect those who are most at risk and to reduce the rate of infection, which in turn reduces the burden on Sweden's healthcare sector.
     
  • Read more detail about the precautions we should all be taking in this paywall-free article. Advice in English is also available from Sweden's Public Health Agency and the World Health Organisation.

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