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Dr. Tegnell said the WHO was confusing Sweden with countries where epidemics were only just beginning.
Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has rejected a warning from the World Health Organization that included Sweden among the countries in Europe at risk of a Covid-19 resurgence.
The WHO warned Thursday that several countries and territories were seeing an increase in infections. Eleven were in the Europe region of the UN agency.
But Dr. Tegnell told Swedish television that it was a “total misinterpretation of the data.”
Sweden had seen an increase in cases, he argued, because he was testing more.
What did the WHO say?
According to WHO data, the EU member state Sweden has seen 155 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days, far more than anywhere else in the organization-defined region of Europe apart from Armenia.
Regional director Hans Henri Kluge said at a press conference on Thursday that in 11 countries, including Sweden, “accelerated transmission has led to a very significant revival that, if left unchecked, will push health systems to the brink once plus”.
The other countries and territories were: Moldova, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Kosovo, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
What is Sweden’s position?
Sweden’s response to the pandemic has been very different from that of other European countries. There has been no closure, with schools and cafes open, but large gatherings have been banned and most Swedes observe social distancing.
It has seen 5,230 deaths in a population of 10 million, a much higher death rate than its neighbors. This week, Sweden reported its highest number of daily infections since the outbreak began, at 1,610 on Wednesday.
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Crowds in Malmo who enjoy the Scandinavian heat wave are urged to maintain social distance.
Dr. Tegnell told SVT on Friday that Sweden was seeing an increasing number of infections because it was testing much more than before. It was “unfortunate,” he said, that the WHO was “confusing Sweden” with the countries at the start of its epidemic.
“They didn’t call to ask us,” he complained. “The number of intensive care admissions is at a very low level and even deaths are beginning to decrease.” Observers say the death rate in Sweden has now dropped to normal levels for the time of year.
Dr. Tegnell said that it was particularly worrying that Sweden had been identified as a country at risk when the borders began to open.
Other Nordic countries have been slow to allow Swedes to cross their borders. Swedes will only be able to enter Denmark from Saturday if the region where they live reaches the level of only 20 infections per 100,000 for a week, well below the current national WHO figure for Sweden of 155.
Earlier this month, Dr. Tegnell acknowledged that Sweden had seen too many deaths.
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However, he has repeatedly defended the strategy of not closing, saying that it is too early to make a final judgment.
How Europe will start to open up again
The EU aims to lift its external borders on July 1, and ambassadors discussed on Friday which countries should have access to EU member states and other countries in the Schengen border-free zone.
Infection rates are a measure being considered, but so is how the relevant countries are addressing the Covid-19 epidemic and whether they have an adequate testing and tracking regimen.
Travelers from the US, Brazil, and Russia are unlikely to be able to enter, and the initial number of countries receiving the green light may be small.
