Sweden’s Covid Database Informing Strategy Forced to Shut Again

(Bloomberg) -- Sweden’s digital registry for Covid-19 cases was forced to close on Sunday for “security reasons,” having shut down only two weeks ago as a result of a hacker attack.

Labs and doctors across the country are still unable to report new cases on the SmiNet database, according to a statement from the the Public Health Agency. The registry also closed in late May after several hacking attempts were discovered, but the agency hasn’t said whether there was a breach of sensitive data.

The shutdowns come at a sensitive time for the agency and the Swedish government, which are basing decisions on easing restrictions partly on data stored in the SmiNet system. The May incident was followed by a week without any updates on Covid-19 cases, and the data subsequently presented was incomplete.

The Nordic nation has seen a steep decline in cases and hospitalizations, having suffered a heavy toll during the first wave of the pandemic and coming under fire for refusing to implement strict measures adopted by many other countries.

Read More: Swedish Lawmakers Fault Cabinet For Flaws in Covid Handling

Now the health agency is advising that most restrictions can be removed when the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals falls below 100, cases per 100,000 are less than 50 over a 14-day period and more than 70% of the adult population has received at least one vaccine dose.

The potential security flaw in the database is now being investigated, according to the agency.

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