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He believes that closing borders is ridiculous and that suspending schools would have no effect on stopping the COVID-19 epidemic. He does not criticize the strategies of other countries, but consistently implements the tactic based on trust in society. Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, is a controversial figure. And although he enjoys great confidence among his countrymen, he has made “enemies” in some of the scientific community. Who is the chief architect of the Swedish model of combating the coronavirus?
- Anders Tegnell is the lead author of Swedish tactics to fight the coronavirus epidemic. His controversial ideas are now on the lips of people all over the world
- Sweden chose not to lockdown, and the government did not issue bans – instead, recommendations were made
- Anders Tegnell says each country is committed to the same – reducing the number of infections, but Sweden has chosen other methods to achieve this
Anders Tegnell – Sweden’s chief epidemiologist
She is 64 years old. He graduated from Lund University, later specialized in infectious diseases at Linköping University Hospital, and studied epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has been Sweden’s chief epidemiologist for seven years, but before becoming one, he worked, among others, for the World Health Organization or the European Commission. He developed vaccination programs and recommendations for EU countries in the event of outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as smallpox. In 1990, he treated the first Ebola patient in Sweden, and in 2009 he was responsible for fighting the swine flu pandemic in that country.
For several weeks, the media around the world has been writing about the Swedish tactics of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. It was Anders Tegnell who was the main author of the strategy that caused quite a stir.
Some joke that the tactic is as loose as the dressing style of the chief epidemiologist. Indeed, Tegnell never wears a tie or a suit. His trademark is a sweater and a shirt open at the neck. It definitely does not look like a typical “white collar”, yet it enjoys great respect in its country.
Tegnell’s approach raises a lot of debate. Why? Because the Swedish government has not decided to “lockdown”, and citizens do not have to comply with a number of restrictions. The rulers decided to obey the chief epidemiologist and instead of bans, they issue recommendations. Among them, the most important are hand hygiene, travel restrictions and the ban on gathering over 50 people. Seniors are advised not to leave their homes, and all who can are advised to work remotely. But restaurants, elementary schools and hairdressers work, and the rulers even encourage outdoor activities.
And although at first glance it seems that Sweden has gone against the tide, in fact Tegnell has the same goals as those in power in other countries – he wants to prevent a complete collapse of the health system and avoid mass diseases. Only that he chose completely different means to achieve it.
The Times journalists asked him why it was not decided to lockdown, to which Tegnell said: – Because we believe that the methods we have introduced will give the same results.
Does he think other countries are making the mistake of imposing strict bans? “That will be judged by history,” he said.
Already, experts are of the opinion that the Swedish economy will suffer less from the negative effects of the pandemic than other countries. The chief epidemiologist firmly denies that any decisions regarding restrictions in the country were dictated by economic considerations. – Like other countries, we aim to flatten the disease curve and slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible. Otherwise, the health and social system may collapse, he said in an interview for the journal Nature.
According to Anders Tegnell, “lockdown” in Sweden would be illegal – in the light of the applicable law, it is not possible to close a given area. Experts from the Public Health Agency looked at the actions of other European countries and looked for confirmation that the closure is helping to contain the epidemic. As Tegnell said in Nature, there was no evidence that lockdown was working.
In my opinion, closing borders is ridiculous because COVID-19 is now in every country.
Not all scientists are of the same opinion. A few weeks ago, 22 Swedish experts issued a letter criticizing Tegenell’s actions and urging the government to take more drastic measures. The chief epidemiologist seems adamant – in The Times he said that there are many specialists who support the current strategy.
Responsibility of individuals and the role of experts
The decisions of the Swedish Public Health Agency did not arouse public opposition. On the contrary – research shows that Swedes trust experts, especially in times of crisis.
To better understand the Swedes’ approach, one needs to take a closer look at how the state works. Anders Tegnell works for the Public Health Agency, which is independent of the government. It consists of experts who make recommendations to the government. About 15 people meet each morning and, based on the available data on infections and the situation in hospitals, make further recommendations.
Due to the fact that public agencies are completely independent, there is no fear of corruption and the public can be sure that all decisions are made based on the knowledge and experience of specialists.
And just as the citizens trust the rulers, the state also trusts the people – the basis of the tactics of fighting COVID-19 adopted in Sweden is a belief in individual responsibility.
– We started from the fact that it is a citizen who has a duty not to spread the disease – we read in an interview given by Tegnell to “Nature”. Hence the recommendations, not prohibitions – Swedes receive recommendations from the Public Health Agency on an ongoing basis. They know how they should behave to limit the spread of the epidemic. At the same time, no one imposes on them that they cannot go out for a run or to the hairdresser.
Resilience is key
Tegnell denied that Sweden’s strategy is based on developing herd immunity, which is that as many people as possible get COVID-19. However, it confirms that this is what it is herd immunity can stop the disease, at least until a vaccine becomes available. However, it is not the government’s goal for as many cases as possible. – Every country needs to get herd immunity one way or the other. We do it differently than most – said Tegnell in Nature.
Sweden stands out from other countries with its long-term approach. Anders Tegnell emphasizes in interviews that, according to him, strict restrictions are not the right solution. He believes that there must be restrictions that can be followed over a long period of time – months or even years. According to him, states that have decided to take drastic measures will have to “ease” the restrictions anyway. In other words – at some point we will all find ourselves at about the same point where Sweden has been around for several weeks.
– I think different strategies will have the same effect. The differences can be seen mainly in the economy, he said. – It may be that no matter what we do, we can only postpone the effects of the epidemic, but we will not avoid them.
At present, it is said that a pandemic can be stopped by herd immunity or a vaccine. Although there is information about the progress of the vaccine development almost daily, Tegnell is chilling enthusiasm: “We will be lucky if a vaccine appears in the next 18 months,” says the epidemiologist.
Anders Tegnell doesn’t change his mind. He is convinced that Sweden is coping well with the crisis. It also sees weaknesses, such as the high death rate due to COVID-19. However, the specialist says there is no evidence that the increase in the number of deaths was due to “loose” state policy. The problem is the situation in nursing homes for seniors, where a very high mortality rate has been noticed among the infected. This is what the Public Health Agency is focusing on right now – investigating what has gone wrong and what can be done to avoid further deaths.
– The strategy seems to be working. We have managed to keep the number of infections relatively low. We have 20 percent. vacant beds in intensive care units and enough PPE. We are entering an epidemic phase with more cases and more cases in the next few weeks, but this is the case in every country. Nowhere in Europe has it been possible to significantly slow the spread of the coronavirus – he sums up.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.
Check out other articles on the coronavirus outbreak in Sweden:
- Without prohibitions, it was possible to flatten the disease curve. Why are other countries not doing what Sweden is doing?
- Epidemiologists say the peak in Stockholm is over
- Sweden’s chief epidemiologist: getting closer to herd immunity
- Sweden is fighting the epidemic differently than the rest of Europe. Does this strategy make sense?