Let me tell you, folks, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge, huge challenge, especially for our healthcare systems. We’ve had to shift everything, I mean everything, to focus on acute care. And you know what? Our elderly, they’ve been hit the hardest. It’s been tough, really tough.

Now, neurosurgery, that’s a big deal. It’s critical. But during this pandemic, we’ve seen a significant drop in these surgeries. And let me tell you, this isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people. People with serious conditions, like brain injuries, cancers, they’re not getting the surgeries they need. It’s a big, big impact on public health.

We looked into this, really dug deep. We checked out all the neurosurgical procedures in Sweden, from 2015 to 2021, focusing on those 65 and older. And guess what? There’s been a decrease, especially in 2020 and 2021. But here’s the thing – it’s not just neurosurgery. Other surgeries took a hit too, but neurosurgery, it’s been really affected.

And women, they’ve been affected more than men. It’s something to think about, especially with brain cancer diagnoses going down for women. There’s a clear link here between the drop in surgeries and longer waiting times. But, and this is interesting, the COVID-19 rates in those regions? They didn’t really play a big role in the decrease of neurosurgery rates.

So, what we’re seeing here is that, yes, the pandemic has caused a reduction in neurosurgical procedures in Sweden. But, and this is key, it’s not as bad as in other places. And, despite the challenges, we’re not seeing an increase in mortality. That’s something, right? We’ve got differences across regions, in terms of surgeries and waiting times, but we’re holding on.

In conclusion, the pandemic has been tough on neurosurgery, especially for our elderly. But we’re learning, adapting. It’s about resilience, folks. We’ve got to keep pushing forward, keep fighting. That’s how we’re going to get through this, together.