16 Possible Factors for Sweden’s High Covid Death Rate among the Nordics: It is plausible that Sweden’s lighter lockdown accounts for but a small part of Sweden’s higher Covid death rate

16 Possible Factors for Sweden’s High Covid Death Rate among the Nordics. Daniel B. Klein, Joakim Book, Christian Bjørnskov. SSRN, August 14, 2020. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3674138

Abstract: What accounts for Sweden’s high Covid death rate among the Nordics? One factor could be Sweden’s lighter lockdown. But we suggest 15 other possible factors. Most significant are: (1) the “dry-tinder” situation in Sweden; (2) Stockholm’s larger population; (3) Sweden’s higher immigrant population; (4) in Sweden immigrants probably more often work in the elderly care system; (5) Sweden has a greater proportion of people in elderly care; (6) Stockholm’s “sport-break” was a week later than the other three capital cities; (7) Stockholm’s system of elderly care collects especially vulnerable people in nursing homes. Other possible factors are: (8) the Swedish elderly and health care system may have done less to try to cure elderly Covid patients; (9) Sweden may have been relatively understocked in protective equipment and sanitizers; (10) Sweden may have been slower to separate Covid patients in nursing homes; (11) Sweden may have been slower to implement staff testing and changes in protocols and equipage; (12) Sweden elderly care workers may have done more cross-facility work; (13) Sweden might have larger nursing homes; (14) Stockholmers might travel more to the Alpine regions; (15) Sweden might be quicker to count a death "a Covid death.” We give evidence for these other 15 possible factors. It is plausible that Sweden’s lighter lockdown accounts for but a small part of Sweden’s higher Covid death rate.

Keywords: Coronavirus, pandemic, lockdown, elderly care, nursing home