A well-respected epidemiologist who was considered the architect of Sweden’s pandemic approach, which avoided lockdowns but caused the Scandinavian country to earn one of the highest total deaths per capita due to COVID-19, joins the World Health Organization.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Swedish Public Health Agency said Anders Tegnell would begin working with the United Nations health agency on Monday.
It will be his responsibility in Geneva to coordinate the activities of WHO, UNICEF, and the public-private vaccine organization Gavi to better prevent the spread of Coronaviruses worldwide.
In a statement, Tegnell said, As an international affairs expert, Tegnell has worked with vaccines for 30 years while also staying passionate about international issues.
Vaccines must still reach the countries that are not able to buy their own vaccines, since they lack the financial resources to do so.
As a result of its response to the pandemic, Sweden stood out among European nations and much of the rest of the world.
There were no government restrictions that closed down economic sectors, instead, citizens were encouraged to protect the population with the sense of civic duty they felt.
Schools, bars and restaurants remained open. But, the authorities’ adviced residents to practice social distancing.
