Northern Sweden reports high spike in COVID-19

Sweden imposed less restrictions at the start of the pandemic than neighboring Nordic countries and consequently saw a much higher spread of the virus.

The pandemic is still hitting hard, despite the Government in January this year passed legislation imposing restrictive measures more in line with Norway, Finland and Denmark.

The contrast between the two northernmost regions in Norway and Sweden is grim and brutal. While Troms & Finnmark County in Norway today reported 4 new cases and one patient in hospital, Norrbotten County in Sweden had 182 new cases and 54 coronavirus patients in hospitals.

The two regions have nearly the same population, Norrbotten with 251,080 and Troms & Finnmark with 243,311 inhabitants.

Since the start of the pandemic last winter, Norrbotten has registered 19,521 cases according to the county authorities coronavirus portal. The cumulative number of cases in Troms and Finnmark is 1,534, according to the online tracking made by newspaper VG.

Northernmost Norway has reported 6 deaths, while the number for northernmost Sweden is 246.

Nearly half of the new cases in Norrbotten on Tuesday are reported from the mining town of Gällivare with 88 cases.

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