Sweden Boosts Senior Care Spending as Coronavirus Death Toll Rises

The government of Sweden plans to spend another 2.2 billion Swedish krona (US$226 million) to train senior caregivers this year and next amid a mounting coronavirus death toll, reports CNBC . Confirmed coronavirus cases in Sweden have risen to 27,272 with 3,313 in total deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University estimates. More than half of these fatalities happened in senior care communities as of May 7. The Swedish government reported that the pandemic has taxed staffing in health and social care, especially for older adults. Officials hope that the funding boost will make jobs in senior care more enticing and increase employment in the sector, given growing unemployment in other industries due to the pandemic. The government said the money should sufficiently cover training for 10,000 people, which could be done during working hours.