Sweden Starts Criminal Probe Into Care Home After Coronavirus Deaths
Sweden Starts Criminal Probe Into Care Home After Coronavirus Deaths
(Bloomberg) --
Swedish prosecutors have launched an investigation into an elderly care home in Stockholm where more than a third of residents have reportedly died after the novel coronavirus spread at the facility.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak started 35 residents at the home have passed away, according to a report from public broadcaster SVT. The facility came under scrutiny after a union safety representative filed a report with authorities, saying staff had moved between infected and healthy residents without changing protective gear.
Sweden’s unorthodox response to the pandemic has garnered global attention as schools, restaurants and shops have remained open during the pandemic. But while public-health officials say the country’s voluntary measures have been enough to limit the spread, they acknowledge a failure in keeping the virus away from vulnerable groups such as those in nursing homes.
The spread of infections among the elderly has contributed to death rates that are far higher than in neighboring countries, and on Thursday the country passed a grim milestone when it reported more than 3,000 fatalities from the pandemic.
Half of those over 70 years old who have died from Covid-19 in Sweden have lived in nursing homes, according to national statistics at the end of April. Unions in the country have been repeatedly warning that many care homes for the elderly lack sufficient routines and equipment to handle the outbreak.
Prosecutor Gunnar Jonasson will lead the preliminary investigation, which is in an initial phase and with currently no named suspects, he said. The care home in question is run by a privately owned company called Ansvar och Omsorg AB.
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