Authorities in Sweden have determined that the risk and spread of the coronavirus in Sweden is low. However, to be prepared should there be an outbreak in the country, the Swedish Armed Forces conducted exercises with a mobile lab to ensure it is prepared with

That saw the armed forced moving staff and a mobile laboratory from the northern part of the country in Umeå to the Uppsala University Hospital to develop methods for analysing and identifying the coronavirus. Commenting on the exercises and recent tests, the head of the centre in Umeå, Philip Bacchus stated: “When we saw the progress of the virus, we identified a chance to test our capabilities in terms of laboratories, and to make our staff and resources available to the National CBRN Defence Centre. Everything went very fast. Normally, all our exercises are carefully planned out but this was an exercise that was put together very fast, a kind of stress test of the operation.”

The National CBRN Defence Centre has in place a variety of civilian and military expertise to assist with the managing and controlling of biological, chemical, nuclear and radioactive threats. While their primary tasks do not include virus control and infection protection analyses, the recent exercises were deemed successful.
Bacchus stated that while it is unknown it the forces would be called upon if an outbreak occurred, there is no doubt they have the capability before adding, “We were able to act at very short notice and move this mobile lab. In addition, with our equipment and staff, we were able to identify coronavirus in human samples. This resource is useful both nationally and internationally.”

Potential Treatment for the Coronavirus

U.S researchers are in the midst of conducting clinical trials for treatments caused by COVID-19, which is the clinical name for the coronavirus. This was announced earlier this week by the National Institutes of Health in response to the more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the virus around the world. To date, it has resulted in the deaths of 2,770 people.

There are two trials currently being conducted. One identified as remdesivir has been in testing for several weeks in China and so far, results are looking positive. Speaking on the trials, the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Bruce Aylward stated. “There is only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy and that’s remdesivir”