What is Sweden doing that's so much better a method?

"Swedish mortality—deaths compared with diagnosed cases—is 8.6%. In the U.S., mortality is at 4%. New York City remains the epicenter of the U.S. viral outbreak. The City’s death toll is approaching 7,000 and mortality is higher than the American average at 6.6%."

@Athena , i don't know where you get your stats from. but i take all of them with a big grain of salt.
how do we know the percentages being tested from one country to the next are accurate.
to prohibit ppl from walking, bicycling in parks or golfing is ridiculous. but many ppl given a little power enjoy making life difficult for others.

@callmedubious

I pulled it from a statistical site. I'm genuinely curious to know what Sweden is doing differently as far as their advisories? I haven't seen anything on that.

I understand as a concept it seems ridiculous but what is the solution when this virus cannot be contained as people continue to roam about the streets?

It's not the people who follow all the precautions, it's the variables that can't be controlled while scientists and healthcare workers learn more about the transmission of this virus.

I live in a busy downtown community where people continue to walk their dogs (essential I'd say) and run. Two neighbours I'm friendly with only walk their dogs and get groceries and also live alone, yet both picked up the virus at some point. Both have no idea how. The average age around here is young - about 35, yet occasionally you'll see elderly people in grocery stores, making those people vulnerable.
I don't know if it's an attempt control everyone as much as it is a drastic measure to control the spread by making the instructions clear.

Before a surgery, doctors will tell you to stop taking ALL supplements. Why? Some are fine and will even expedite healing if taken prior.
It's because they can't control the variables that may be deadly. Some might have multiple ingredients including anticoagulants or interfere with medication.. it's easier to say stop taking everything than it is to provide a list of every single item. There would be hundreds!

Yesterday I went out for groceries and a homeless man approached me quite closely and aggressively. My city is putting homeless people up in hotels but of course they are not held captive there. That interaction was completely out of my control but put me at risk. Not everyone stays 6 ft away from me and I'm always jumping out of people's way, even when I walk across a park.

Limiting the number of those potential interactions is the best possible advice. People should therefore stay home.

@Athena, i honestly don't know what the appropriate policy should be re the CV but i do know that if the lockdowns continue for much longer the economy will be severely impaired; and potentially many more ppl will die from a financial depression than would have died if this virus had just taken it's course & our population eventually gained herd immunity, which happens with every other flu virus, & which is the course they're taking in Sweden.
that would be scary: a homeless man lurching towards you. considering how dangerous this CV is i think you would be justified in giving him a blast of pepper spray. it would probably be considered justifiable homicide in some parts of the US.
actually, i was being a little facetious about the homeless man.. but just a little.

@callmedubious

My heart broke for this homeless man and I did him money. However, after it happened I'd pictured that same situation had I been with my mother who had a lung condition for several years before she died. Funnily enough my reaction was closer to the one you stated!

I see your point about the economy, but allowing the virus to run its course would mean a global death rate of 1% which is 175 million people. The hospital situation would be even worse with more healthcare workers dying or quitting and an eventual economic collapse would happen anyway. Restaurants, stores and gyms would be closing their doors voluntarily as their friends and colleagues would be very sick or dying. The number of cases would shoot so high that no one would want to leave home and both the employer and employer would be put in the terrible situation of having to make some tough decisions themselves.
I don't see how that's a better case scenario.

I live in Canada and it's predicted that our curve will be flattened by the end of next week. We now have more ventilators available than expected as well as economic contingency plans for all businesses, allowing government assistance to delay mortgage payments by 6 months and subsidized employers to pay their employees up to 75% of their regular earnings. There is a $2000/month payout to those who were contracted or self employed. I haven't heard a single person here mention concern about the economy, only about the number of people dying.

What happens to an economy when people see so much sickness and death and so many desperate hospital workers quitting or crying on the news, that no one will leave the house anyway? What happens when as things run their course there are so many people sick at one time that you have hospitals packed like rock concerts or with "not accepting patients" on their doors?

Once you think about it being you or someone you care about dying a horrible death of suffocation, not being able to seeing loved ones during their last days and picturing quadruple the number of body bags currently piled up in trucks, it changes things.