The country’s treatment of the elderly and patients with comorbidities such as obesity was especially appalling.

“Many elderly people were administered morphine instead of oxygen despite available supplies, effectively ending their lives,” the researchers wrote. “Potentially life-saving treatment was withheld without medical examination, and without informing the patient or his/her family or asking permission.”

In densely populated Stockholm, triage rules stated that patients with comorbidities were not to be admitted to intensive care units, on grounds that they were “unlikely to recover,” the researchers wrote, citing Swedish health strategy documents and statistics from research studies indicating that ICU admissions were biased against older patients.

These policies were crafted by a small, insular group of government officials who not only failed to consult with experts in public health, but ridiculed expert opinion and circled the wagons to defend Anders Tegnell, the government epidemiologist who reigned as the architect of the country’s approach, against mounting criticism.

The bottom line is that Swedes suffered grievously from Tegnell’s policies. According to the authoritative Johns Hopkins pandemic tracker, while its total death rate from February 2020 through this week, 1,790 per million population, is better than that of the U.S. (2,939), Britain (2,420) and France (2,107), it’s worse than that of Germany (1,539), Canada (984) and Japan (220).

Throughout much of the pandemic, Sweden has stood out for its ostensibly successful effort to beat COVID-19 while avoiding the harsh lockdowns and social distancing rules imposed on residents of other developed nations.

Swedish residents were able to enjoy themselves at bars and restaurants, their schools remained open, and somehow their economy thrived and they remained healthy. So say their fans, especially on the anti-lockdown right.

A new study by European scientific researchers buries all those claims in the ground. Published in Nature, the study paints a devastating picture of Swedish policies and their effects.

“The Swedish response to this pandemic,” the researchers report, “was unique and characterized by a morally, ethically, and scientifically questionable laissez-faire approach.”

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

On the morning of 3 January 1944, the destroyer USS Turner suffers multiple explosions and sinks while at anchor off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. A historical first occurs during the rescue operations: a helicopter carries vital medical supplies to wounded sailors.

The previous night, 2 January 1944, USS Turner had arrived at Ambrose Light off Sandy Hook after successfully escorting a convoy across the Atlantic. At 0617 hours this morning, 3 January 1944, as Turner's crew are replenishing supplies and conducting maintenance, an explosion happens in one of the upper-deck ammunition handling rooms. Turner is engulfed in flame as two further explosions rip through her hull. At 0705 hours, Turner's captain gives the order to abandon the ship, but many of the crew are already dead or too gravely injured. Forty-five minutes later, an earth-shattering explosion splits Turner nearly in half, and she sinks within minutes, taking at least 130 sailors with her.

Wounded sailors are transported to a hospital in Sandy Hook, but the hospital quickly runs out of blood and blood plasma for transfusions. The Coast Guard is called to assist in the transport of fresh blood plasma, but the heavy snow and sleet prevent all their airplanes from taking off.

LCDR. Frank Erickson, Executive Officer of the Brooklyn air station and first qualified Coast Guard helicopter pilot is contacted in the afternoon by a US Navy admiral. He and co-pilot Walter Bolton prepare a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter within minutes and fly the Battery in New York to pick up two cases of blood plasma. Weight proves to be an issue, and Bolton is left behind while Erickson flies to Sandy Hook with the cargo tied to the helicopter's floats. He narrowly avoids ships anchored along his flight path as visibility deteriorates rapidly but makes it to the hospital with the aircraft and cargo intact. Dozens of USS Turner's sailors are saved by blood transfusions.

Despite still being a prototype, the R-4, and the helicopter in general, shows its worth that day for rapid rescue and transport operations.

Picture: Commander F. A. Erickson, USCG, and Ensign W. C. Bolton, USCG. (7 April 1944)
Source: US Coast Guard

After nearby ships picked up the survivors of the sunken destroyer, the injured were taken to the hospital at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. A United States Coast Guard Sikorsky HNS-1 flown by Lieutenant Commander Frank A. Erickson — the first use of a helicopter in a life-saving role — flew two cases of blood plasma, lashed to the helicopter's floats, from New York to Sandy Hook. The plasma saved the lives of many of Turner's injured crewmen.[2] Turner's name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 April 1944.