Mackem expat living in 'relaxed' Sweden with no lockdown gets coronavirus

David Smith, 51, originally from Pennywell, thinks he caught covid-19 in mid-April and is now recovering.

He moved to Sweden in 2005 and lives in Hudiksvall, a city 170 miles north of Stockholm, with a population around 15,000.

Sweden hasn’t had full lockdown and people can go outside, visit bars, restaurants and shops, but must stay two metres apart and schools remain open.

Latest figures for Sweden show there has been 27,272 cases and 3,313 deaths.

David said: “For about two weeks I was quite ill and had to spend four days in the corona ward at Hudiksvall hospital.

“The symptoms were a cough, loss of taste and a high temperature, which peaked at 40.5. It also drained me of energy, so the slightest effort was difficult.

“I suspect I caught it at the supermarket. I’ve been to pubs and restaurants, but in all honesty they were empty.

“Supermarkets practise social distancing, which in reality means standing apart at the checkout. Everything else at the supermarket is as it was before the virus.

“I spent four days at Hudiksvall’s hospital, which is only a couple of hundred yards from my house. I needed oxygen and blood thinning drugs. Once my oxygen levels and temperature were regulated, they allowed me home.

“The hospital staff were efficient at taking care of covid, but I didn’t receive any other care. For example my bedsheet was constantly wet due to sweating from the fever, but was never replaced with a dry one. I also didn't have any towels etc, so I was stinking a bit when I got out!”

The nation’s population is 10 million, but it is twice the size of the UK.

David had previously said that Sweden should only lock down its larger cities, but now he isn’t too sure.

He said: “It's very hard to say really. Allowing the virus to spread should mean it’s over quicker here than the UK. But having had the lurgy, and knowing exactly how serious it is, then maybe the attitude here is a little gung ho!”

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