World last week: 'Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength'

Firm stance

Compared to Nordic countries such as Finland, Denmark, Norway - which closed their borders early and strictly implemented social distancing, in Sweden, the fight against the pandemic has been a huge contrast. Without lockdowns or strict restrictions like neighboring countries, the image of Sweden appears with bustling streets, crowded cafes with people chatting. Children continue to go to school, businesses remain open.

People enjoy the warm spring weather by the Hornstull River in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo: CNN

The Stockholm government is banking on a “soft” approach and compliance from its citizens. Sweden believes its “herd immunity” strategy is working, and that the population has overcome Covid-19 without a strict lockdown. But the numbers tell a different story.

The “herd immunity” strategy has been heavily criticized by many scholars and medical doctors. Compared to countries in the continent such as Spain and Italy, Sweden’s Covid-19 death rate is lower, but compared to its Nordic neighbors, it is much higher. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the death rate in Sweden has increased significantly, reaching 22 per 100,000 people, while the figure in Denmark is only 7, Norway and Finland is 4. With a population of 10.3 million, the current number of infections in Sweden (as of May 2) is 21,520 and recorded over 2,653death

“It’s clear that Sweden has had more deaths than other European countries. That’s probably partly because we didn’t impose a lockdown,” said Jan Albert, professor of microbiology and cell biology at the Karolinska Institute. But he believes that most scientists in Sweden have been “relatively quiet” about the government’s “herd immunity” plan because they believe it can work.

“The truth is, no one, even in Sweden, knows what the best strategy is. Time will tell,” said Jan Albert, who expressed confidence that stricter lockdown measures would only “flatten the curve” of the epidemic, but that it would not mean that the epidemic would disappear.

Cafes and bars are still crowded with people gathering and eating in Sweden. Photo: CNN

Renowned epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, the “conductor” of Sweden’s Covid-19 campaign, believes that Sweden will be better prepared for a second wave of the virus because many people here have already been infected with Covid-19. He asserted that the “soft” approach has worked in some respects. The Swedish foreign minister stressed that different countries have different methods, and the way Sweden is doing it is “simply trying to do everything we believe is right”.

Heritages under "threat"

The Russian capital Moscow has been hit hard by Covid-19. According to the latest figures, there are currently more than 114,493 people infected in Russia, of which more than 1,169 have died, and more than half of them are in Moscow. Notably, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is the first senior Russian official to test positive for the virus. In this situation, President Putin has appointed a replacement and ordered the extension of the community isolation period until May 11 because the country has not yet passed the peak of the epidemic. Thus, the number of infections in Russia has officially surpassed China - the world's Covid-19 epidemic center in the early stages, ranking 9th in the world in terms of the number of infections.

President Putin, like other world leaders, is facing an unpredictable crisis, and his position may be "shaken" in the context of the complicated developments of the epidemic, affecting public health and the economic decline. It is worth mentioning that if Covid-19 had not appeared, the Russian people could have participated in the April 22 referendum on amending the Constitution to facilitate President Putin's continued leadership.

“Our competitive advantage is not oil or gas. It is Vladimir Putin,” said Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. Observers say the pandemic has created an existential crisis for the Russian leader at a time when he needs public support to consolidate his power in the future.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that he was infected with Covid-19 and asked President Putin to find a temporary replacement. Photo: Ria Novosti

Russia was initially quick to take measures, such as closing its borders, when the epidemic began to rage in neighboring China. However, Russia's domestic anti-epidemic measures were considered to be lagging behind other European countries. This caused public discontent, and Mr. Putin's hard-won legacy was also "threatened."

As Covid-19 began to spread across the country, President Putin used it to improve his standing by making statements that everything was under control, or that Russia was better prepared to deal with the crisis than Europe and the US. However, as the outbreak began to spiral out of control, Putin appeared in public and described the severity of the disease.

The Russian leader said the next few weeks would be crucial to determine whether Russia could effectively flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus. If necessary, the Russian military was “ready to be deployed.” The president pushed for stricter lockdown measures, ordering a nationwide paid leave of absence. However, these measures have begun to backfire.

Another equally important “blow” that Covid-19 dealt President Putin was when he had to postpone the traditional Victory Day parade on May 9, marking the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. For the Kremlin, the anniversary of the victory is one of the important events, helping to raise President Putin's domestic approval rating.

Russian police patrol an empty Red Square in Moscow on April 13, 2020, amid a lockdown to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: AFP

President Putin has spent the year planning to consolidate power, celebrate Russia's Victory Day, and usher in the next phase of his career, but instead he is caught in a struggle with an invisible, and difficult-to-control, enemy.

Russian officials have predicted that the country's caseload could stabilize in May as most regions are under good quarantine. The crisis is spreading around the world, and President Putin and other world leaders are having to adopt new strategies to cope and maintain their power.