Don’t ignore Sweden in Covid-19 lessons

Sorry to see no mention of Sweden or other Nordic countries in your roundup of global actions on Covid-19 (Covid test and trace: how does UK compare with other countries?, 18 September). You ran a report earlier in the week (16 September) showing that Sweden has one of the lowest infection rates in the world, at 22.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, less than half the rate in the UK. Surely that is important as we look set for a second wave even before winter starts.

Sweden initially closed high schools and universities, and told vulnerable people to self-isolate, while encouraging people to be more hygiene-conscious. The Swedish health agencies had clear and consistent guidelines from the start, unlike the shambolic approach from our government. But they also have a sensible population who did as they were told, and a more equal society without the dire levels of poverty created by Tory austerity policies.

All we can do is wait until winter and see how many of us survive this incompetence, but I am still puzzled as to why you are ignoring the Swedish story.
David Reed
London