'The world went crazy' with lockdowns, says Sweden's coronavirus expert as he blasts WHO for 'misinterpreting data' with list of 11 nations seeing a 'resurgence'
- Anders Tegnell, Sweden's virus expert, said the world 'went mad' with lockdowns
- Said leaders caved to pressure with decisions that 'fly in the face' of science
- Also hit out at WHO, after body said Sweden is seeing a 'dangerous resurgence'
- Tegnell has accused WHO's Europe chief of 'totally misinterpreting' the data
Sweden's top virus expert has said the 'world went mad' with coronavirus lockdowns which 'fly in the face of what is known about handling virus pandemics'.
Anders Tegnell, who advised Sweden to avoid full lockdown in favour of a 'herd immunity' strategy, said world leaders caved to political pressure amid panic - and that the long-term downsides of lockdown will far outweigh the benefits.
He also hit out at the WHO after it placed Sweden on a list of 11 countries seeing a 'dangerous resurgence' in the virus, saying it had 'totally misinterpreted' the data.
Sweden has seen seen its daily coronavirus case totals spike in recent weeks, leading the WHO to warn it is seeing a 'resurgence' of the disease
But the country's virus expert Anders Tegnell said the WHO had 'totally misinterpreted' the data, saying the 'spike' is down to improved testing and pointing to falling deaths as evidence
Tegnell said a 'surge' in cases over the last week is actually the result of more testing, meaning mild cases that previously went undetected are now showing in the data.
He pointed to a steady fall in deaths, hospital admissions and ICU admissions as evidence that Sweden's outbreak is actually retreating, not getting worse.
It comes after WHO Europe director Hans Henri Kluge warned in a press conference on Thursday of 11 European countries that had seen a 'dangerous resurgence' in the virus, meaning healthcare systems could soon be overwhelmed.
The WHO later revealed Sweden was on that list, alongside Armenia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Kosovo.
Tegnell said: 'It's a total misunderstanding, I would say.
'They have looked at the number of cases per day and it has increased steeply over the past week.
Tegnell (left) said Hans Henri Kluge, the WHO's Europe chief, 'got it wrong' because he had not spoken to anyone in Sweden before making his announcement
'This is entirely due to extended testing and that we find more mild cases. We see no evidence at all that our epidemic in Sweden is getting worse - on the contrary.
'It is unfortunate that people are confusing Sweden with countries that have not previously had problems, which are obviously in the beginning. Sweden is nearing the end.'
Asked why the WHO had misinterpreted the data, Tegnell said no official had been in contact with Swedish authorities - meaning they missed the nuances in the figures.
He added that being included on the list could cause problems for Sweden, especially as countries decide where to allow their citizens to travel.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that the world is entering a 'dangerous new phase' of coronavirus, as global cases topped 150,000 in a single day.
Since then they have risen further, and are now routinely above 180,000 per day.
Tegnell was the man behind Sweden's decision not to go into lockdown, in favour of social distancing and a 'herd immunity' strategy
The spike comes as many countries, including those in Europe and the US, ease out of lockdowns which kept case-counts low.
While critics have pointed to a loosening of the rules for the rise in cases, others - including US President Donald Trump - say improved testing is actually the cause.
Like Tegnell, they have pointed to the fact that deaths are continuing to fall even as cases rise as evidence.
However, the picture is further complicated by the fact that deaths often lag behind a rise in cases - taking two to three weeks to show in the data.
Many countries have only recently exited lockdowns, meaning a spike in deaths - if it is coming - is several weeks away.
No comments: