Scientist admits Sweden could have battled virus better - MSN Money
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State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency of Sweden speaks during a coronavirus news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday May 27, 2020. The Swedish government and agencies give a daily update on the coronavirus COVID-19 situation. (Pontus Lundahl / TT via AP)
In this May 21, 2020, photo, provided by Pascal Chatterjee, Phelan Chatterjee works at home in Telefonplan, Stockholm. (Pascal Chatterjee via AP)
Screens between the tables protect customers sitting outside at a restaurant in central Stockholm Saturday May 30, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing is an issue as warm wether has drawn crowds to many parks in the capital. (Henrik Montgomery / TT via AP)
People enjoy the warm evening weather in Malmo, Sweden, Tuesday May 26, 2020. Sweden has defended its response to the COVID-19 global pandemic despite the country now reporting one of the highest mortality rates in the world with 4,125 fatalities, about 40 deaths per 100,000 people. ( Johan Nilsson/TT via AP)
People enjoy the warm evening weather in Malmo, Sweden, Tuesday May 26, 2020 as a sign reads 'In Malmo everything is near. But now we need to keep a distance'. Sweden has defended its response to the COVID-19 global pandemic despite the country now reporting one of the highest mortality rates in the world with 4,125 fatalities, about 40 deaths per 100,000 people. ( Johan Nilsson/TT via AP)
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STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden's chief epidemiologist showed contrition Wednesday as criticism mounted over the Scandinavian country's hotly debated method of fighting the coronavirus, which has resulted in one of the highest death rates per capita in the world.
Sweden has stood out among European nations and the world for the way it has handled the pandemic, not shutting down the country or the economy like others but relying on citizens’ sense of civic duty. Swedish authorities have advised people to practice social distancing, but schools, bars and restaurants have been kept open the entire time. Only gatherings of more than 50 people have been banned.
“I think there is potential for improvement in what we have done in Sweden, quite clearly,” Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency told Swedish radio.
Sweden, a nation of 10.2 million people, has seen 4,468 deaths linked to COVID-19, which is far more than its Nordic neighbors and one of the highest death rates per capita in the world. Denmark has had 580 coronavirus deaths, Finland has seen 320 and Norway has had 237, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
“If we were to encounter the same disease again, knowing precisely what we know about it today, I think we would settle on doing something in between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world has done,” said Tegnell, considered the architect of the unique Swedish pandemic approach.
Hospital patient Isidre Correa is taken to the seaside by intensive healthcare staff outside the Hospital del Mar, on June 3, in Barcelona, Spain. Mr Correa was taken into Intensive Care on April 14 after his coronavirus infection worsened while he had been in hospital since April 9. Today, he will leave the ICU to follow his recovery at the hospital. Hospital del Mar is taking recovering COVID-19 patients from the ICU to the seaside as part of their recovering process aiming to humanize its Intensive Care Units.
A man, who is in a contact with people who have contracted the coronavirus, receives through iron bars the free medicines provided by the ministry of health, at a medical centre, in Cairo, Egypt, on June 3.
Pakistani children of slum areas take classes at an open air free school run by Muhammad Ayub, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 3. Muhammad Ayub, who works with civil defense organization during the day, offer his services for free to teach children who don't have access to education.
Workers suit up in PPE (personal protective equipment) before sterilising a mosque in Jordan's capital Amman, on June 3, ahead of its re-opening.
Passengers sit between makeshift plastic barriers to maintain social distancing inside a jeepney, in Angono, Rizal province, Philippines, on June 3.
Children enjoy playing at Margaret Mahy Family Playground, on June 3, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
A tourist trapped on the island, after the government closed Cuba’s air space last April, enjoys while sitting in a patio at Villa Bacuranao, in Havana, on June 3.
People wearing masks practice social distancing as they line up for public transport to go home at the end of a working day, after daytime curfew has been lifted to restart the country's economic activities following almost two-month lockdown, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 3.
Minister of State Dorothee Bär (CSU) and Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner (CDU) greet each other with an elbow bump as they arrive for the weekly government cabinet meeting on June 3 in Berlin, Germany.
A pupil wearing a plastic face visor attends class at Kinugawa Elementary School on June 3 in Nikko, Japan. Schools in Japan reopened this week after being forced to close earlier in the year by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
A worker arranges beds at quarantine center on the outskirts of Agartala, India, on June 3.
Tourists take pictures of the Grand Canal from the Accademia bridge during the Italian Republic Day on June 02 in Venice, Italy. Many Italian businesses have been allowed to reopen, after more than two months of a nationwide lockdown.
A flight attendant walks past an advertising at Rome's Fiumicino airport on June 3 as airports and borders reopen for tourists and residents free to travel across the country.
People eat and have drinks on restaurant and cafe terraces in the rue de Buci on June 2 in Paris, France.
People are seen out on the beach on June 2, in Bournemouth, Dorset, as the public are being reminded to practice social distancing following relaxation of the lockdown restrictions in England.
Indian farmers carry harvested paddy on buffalo carts on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, on June 2. India has eased the lockdown allowing manufacturing and agricultural activity to resume despite an upward trend in new infections.
Activists of the "Fridays for Future" movement demonstrate at a campaign for climate-friendly corona economic stimulus packages at Jungfernstieg, in Hamburg, Germany, on June 2. The participants lined up from Jungfernstieg to the Europa-Passage under the motto #KlimazielStattLobbydeal.
Yemeni youth take part in a football match despite the pandemic, in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 2.
University students pass their exams at the "Ancienne Belgique" (AB) concert hall in order to respect the social distancing rule, in Brussels, on June 2, as Belgium eases lockdown measures.
People gather at a fruit market, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 2.
People walk on the first day of beaches reopening for sports only, at Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 2.
Fans of the soccer team Prishtina support their team from outside the stadium during the Kosovo's Digitalb Cup soccer match between KF Prishtina and KF Drenica, in Pristina, on June 2.
A woman passes by a banner about precautions against the coronavirus in Goyang, South Korea, on June 2. Areas around the South Korean capital moved to curb large gatherings and officials urged churchgoers and some health care workers to avoid crowds as the number of new coronavirus once again increased.
Parishioners observe social distancing guidelines cross themselves as they attend service at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on June 2. Churches in Moscow reopen to believers after a two-month lockdown imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus.
A gym member works out in fitness studio on the first day studios are opened on June 2, in Berlin, Germany.
Visitors look at sharks at Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World, in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 2, while the aquarium center implements social distancing and limited guests on its reopening.
Members of Marco Rizzo's Communist Party stage a gathering protest entitled "The Republic to the Workers" against the government and the EU on June 2, in Rome, Italy, as the country eases its lockdown. The placard reads "Public health, the power to those who work".
Resident practices diabolo dragon dance on June 2, in Wuhan, China. Wuhan tested 9,899,828 residents between May 14 and June 1 in a citywide drive to screen novel coronavirus infections, according to a press conference on Tuesday. As a result, no new cases were found, with only 300 asymptomatic infections.
Malian students gather together in the courtyard of a school, as the government decided to resume lessons after two months of closure in Bamako, Mali, on June 2.
Students have their temperature checked at Yio Chu Kang Secondary School, as schools reopen amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore on June 2.
An employee, wearing a protective face mask, serves customers during the reopening of La Prison du Bouffay restaurant at midnight in Nantes, France on June 2.
Artists perform with red balloons at a protest in honor of people who died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during its outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil on June 1.
People and staff members from Nino Jesus hospital block the street during a protest against the privatization of public health in Madrid, Spain on June 1.
RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo scores their fourth goal, as play resumes behind closed doors on June 1 in Cologne, Germany.
Captain Glenn Miller climbs to the bridge on his sportfishing boat GonFishin V; while mate Josh Rabon, right, explains to his guests what to expect during the planned day of fishing off the Florida Keys on June 1 in Islamorada, Fla.
Children are seen in a classroom at Watlington Primary School as some schools re-open in Watlington, England on June 1.
People wearing face masks are seen on the first day of eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in La Paz, Bolivia on June 1.
People look at Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting at the Van Gogh Museum that reopened, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on June 1.
Passengers sit in between social distancing markers on the first day of train operations, in Manila, Philippines, on June 1.
Students of rhythmic gymnastics school wearing protective face masks and gloves take part in an open-air training session entitled "Save Deriugina school" to draw attention to the closing of their training facility due to poor condition of the building, in Kiev, Ukraine, on June 1.
People stand in a queue within marks of social distancing at a Railway reservation ticket counter, in New Delhi, India, on June 1.
Musicians perform to thank for quick coronavirus disease (COVID-19) containment, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on June 1.
A student wearing a face mask amid the new coronavirus pandemic pays attention to his teacher at a rural school, in Empalme Olmos, Uruguay, on June 1.
People wear face masks and sit distanced to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they watch a movie at the movie theater on June 1 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai authorities allowed movie theater and other businesses to reopen, selectively easing restrictions against the coronavirus.
A train conductor waits for a passengers at the train station on June 1 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Vehicles are pictured on a road after a few restrictions were lifted during an extended nationwide lockdown on June 1 in New Delhi, India.
A woman wearing a protective face mask and dressed in traditional costume visits Wat Chaiwatthanaram after the Thai government eased isolation measures in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand on June 1.
Visitors enjoy seeing the Lions at Melbourne Zoo on June 1 in Melbourne, Australia.
A vendor tends to a customer behind a makeshift barrier on the first day of the Philippine capital's gradual reopening in Manila, Philippines on June 1.
A man, wearing a mask to protect against coronavirus, attends a rally to support for potential presidential candidates in the upcoming presidential elections in Minsk, Belarus, on May 31. The presidential campaign is underway in Belarus despite the coronavirus outbreak after the parliament and government refused to postpone the election scheduled for August 9.
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Authorities in Sweden, including Tegnell, have been criticized — and have apologized — for failing to protect the country's elderly and nursing home residents.
But Tegnell said Wednesday it was still unclear what the country should have done differently. He also said other nations are unable to tell exactly what measures affected the outcome of their outbreaks because they threw everything at it in one go.
“Maybe we know that now, when you start easing the measures, we could get some kind of lesson about what else, besides what we did, you could do without a total shutdown,” Tegnell said.
Asked if the country's high death toll has made him reconsider his unique approach to the pandemic, Tegnell answered “yes, absolutely.”
The moves recommended by Tegnell have made Sweden a bit of a local pariah and did not spare the Swedish economy. More than 76,000 people have been made redundant since the outbreak began and unemployment, which now stands at 7.9%, is expected to climb higher.
Last week, neighboring Norway and Denmark said they were dropping mutual border controls but would keep Sweden out of a Nordic “travel bubble.”
Danes said they will reopen the border next month to residents of neighboring Germany, as well as to Norway and Iceland, as it accelerates the easing of its coronavirus lockdown. However, Denmark, which has a bridge that goes directly to Sweden, has postponed a decision on whether to reopen to Swedish visitors until after the summer.
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Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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