Swedish PM Andersson tests positive for COVID-19 

Stockholm: Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has been tested positive for COVID-19, her spokesperson said on Friday, as a growing wave of infections swept the country driven by the more contagious Omicron variant. 

The 54-year-old Premier is one of several party leaders to have tested positive for the virus in the wake of a debate in parliament earlier this week.

The Nordic country has repeatedly set new daily records for COVID cases this month amid a mounting fourth wave of the virus, raising pressure on the healthcare system and triggering the reimposition of many restrictions.

"She (Andersson) is following the current recommendations and will perform her duties from home. The PM is feeling well, given the situation," the spokesperson said.

The health agency expects cases, currently hitting highs of around 25,000 per day, to peak later this month when Sweden could reach almost 70,000 daily cases, according to its modeling. 

Though Sweden remained better off than other countries that enforced strict lockdowns, the early months of the outbreak were far deadlier in Sweden than in many of its neighbors. 

Sweden has been something of an outlier in Europe in its response to the pandemic and kept the country open, asking residents to follow health precautions voluntarily.  

As the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads in much of the world, Sweden has seen major surges in cases in the winter and spring of 2021, and new cases are soaring again now. 

However, daily coronavirus infection rates have increased sharply in recent weeks in the country.

Earlier this month, Nordic country’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In March 2021, Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel tested positive, and Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia tested positive in the fall of 2020.