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In Stats: How many confirmed coronavirus cases are there in different parts of Stockholm?

The Local Sweden
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In Stats: How many confirmed coronavirus cases are there in different parts of Stockholm?
Volunteer youth workers have been giving out free food and hand gel and sharing information about the virus in several languages in the badly-affected Tensta neighbourhood. Photo: Ali Lorestani / TT

Each day, we get updated figures about the reported coronavirus cases and deaths in Sweden's 21 regions, and as of last week, Stockholm has also shared more detailed data about how those cases are distributed across the region's municipalities.

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Since the start of the outbreak Stockholm has been the worst affected region in Sweden, accounting for around half of the country's confirmed coronavirus cases.

There are several reasons that might be the case; this is Sweden's most populous area, a transport and business hub, and an international city. Capital cities such as London and Paris and business hubs such as Wuhan and Italy's Lombardy region have been especially severely affected worldwide. 

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Within Stockholm, it's the city's suburbs of Rinkeby-Kista and Spånga-Tensta that have been worst hit, with 58 and 48 confirmed cases per 10,000 people respectively according to figures released on April 14th. The municipality with the next highest rate is Sundbyberg with 33 confirmed cases per 10,000 people, and no other area has a rate of over 30.

Factors including cramped housing and an initial lack of information campaigns in languages other than Sweden have been cited as possible reasons for these suburbs being outliers. As well as focusing on a multilingual awareness campaign, Stockholm municipality is also planning to offer emergency housing to people who belong to risk groups and live in crowded housing, according to Dagens Nyheter.

In the table below, you can see how many cases of the virus have been confirmed in your part of the city, and how many cases that is per 10,000 people. It's important to note that only people who are brought into hospital or live in a nursing home and show symptoms consistent with the virus are tested, and the figures only show cases confirmed with a laboratory test. In other words, this isn't a full picture of the numbers of cases.

The table looks at total cases, however Region Stockholm said that compared to last week's data, the number of cases in Rinkeby-Kista, Spånga-Tensta and Sundbyberg was rising more slowly, while in the southern parts of the region, especially Södertälje and Skärholmen, it was increasing.

"Right now, many major communication efforts are being made so that as many people as possible are aware of the recommendations of the Public Health Authority to keep distance, practice thorough hand hygiene and temporarily avoid large gatherings and parties. This applies regardless of the level of infection where you live," said Stockholm infectious disease doctor Per Follin.

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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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