Swedish COVID expert says the world still doesn't understand

Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist of the Public Health Agency of Sweden speaks during a news conference about the daily update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, in Stockholm, Sweden May 27, 2020. PONTUS LUNDAHL/TT NEWS AGENCY

Nils Anders Tegnell is a Swedish infectious disease doctor and civil servant, and the current Swedish state epidemiologist. He was employed by the Swedish Institute for Communicable Diseases between 2004 and 2005, and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare between 2005 and 2012. He returned to the Institute for Communicable Diseases in 2012 as head of the department. He has served as a state epidemiologist since 2013, first at the Institute and then at the Swedish Public Health Agency.

It should be noted that after three months of non-stop controversy, Sweden’s leading epidemiologist is about to go on vacation. Still, it has been said that Tegnell is unlikely to stray from his home after much of the European Union excluded Sweden from safe travel lists. His decision to discourage a Swedish blockade has coincided with one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in the world. Still, Tegnell insists that Sweden’s strategy remains specifically misunderstood.

Likewise, it is necessary that it has changed during the past week, the epidemiologist has made headlines attacking the World Health Organization and labeled as “crazy” countries that opted for strict blocks.

The new reality

Tegnell, who as previously mentioned is a Swedish COVID expert, says the world still doesn’t understand. And is that the expert has argued that the world is only in the first stage of dealing with a long and uncertain battle with Covid-19. This is why Sweden’s strategy, keeping a large part of society open, but empowering people to observe patterns of distancing, is the only realistic way to deal with the long term.

Likewise, on Friday, Tegnell obtained a very public victory against the WHO, then criticized the organization for making a “total mistake”. The WHO named Sweden in a list of 11 European countries where it said that “accelerated transmission has led to a very significant revival that, if left unchecked, will bring health systems to the brink”. While Sweden remains on the list available on the WHO website, the organization has modified its assessment, saying that Swedish contact rates are indeed “stable”. He linked a large number of cases to an increase in evidence.

In an interview with Dagens Nyheter, Tegnell said he is not sure that he has imposed a stricter lockdown in Sweden for the benefit of hindsight, and that he seems to backtrack on a vision he has previously articulated. In this way, it has been indicated that Tegnell’s main concern is that strict blocks may contain the virus, but will not prevent it from returning. It also says that the blocks have an avoidable cost.

Source: Bloomberg News | National Post