Half the Staff of Swedish Hospital Department Test Positive for Coronavirus

Half of the staff at a department of the Helsingborg hospital tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus as Sweden reports over 2,500 deaths across the country.

The department within the Helsingborg hospital has been partially closed as a result of the number of the medical staff that have tested positive for the virus. Patients have been relocated to other areas of the facility.

The hospital’s manager Harald Roos told broadcaster Sveriges Radio that the number of personnel infected with the virus was worrying. But he said the hospital was following the correct guidelines in dealing with the outbreak.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has reported that the Skåne region where Helsingborg is located will be extending tests for medical personnel to facilities located in the cities of Malmö and Lund in the coming days.

Swedish authorities reported 81 new fatal cases of the Chinese virus on Tuesday with the total death toll, and by Friday the official death toll had hit 2,586.

Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell warned that the numbers could be even higher due to a backlog in reporting and said: “On the whole, there is still very high pressure on intensive care in Sweden.”

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Tegnell was interviewed Tuesday and admitted that Swedish elderly homes had been hit much harder than its Scandinavian neighbours, saying: “One difference is that we have a completely different proportion of our dead who come from the elderly. We are working on trying to understand why our elderly homes have been hit harder.”

Statistics show the vast majority of deaths in Sweden due to the Chinese virus have been those over the age of 80.

Previously Tegnell had refused to take personal responsibility for the spread of the virus in elderly homes. Swedish authorities had waited until April 1st to stop public visits to the homes, though Tegnell claimed an earlier ban would not have made a difference in the numbers.

As early as February, some medical experts were predicting that Sweden would not be able to handle a severe outbreak of the coronavirus, stating the country was unprepared.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com