Face of Sweden’s virus strategy does not get WHO jobs
STOCKHOLM (AP) – Sweden’s former chief epidemiologist, who is considered the architect behind the country’s unconventional response to the coronavirus pandemic, will after all not work for the World Health Organization.
The public health authority reported on Wednesday that the WHO said “that an agreement has unfortunately not been reached” for Anders Tegnell to take on an “intended assignment” at the UN health authority.
Tegnell will instead return to the Swedish agency and be responsible for “international commitments”. He has been the country’s chief epidemiologist since 2014.
During the pandemic, Sweden was deliberately introducing deadlocks and eventually reached one of the world’s highest covid-19 death rates per capita,
The Swedish Public Health Agency announced in February that Tegnell, 65, would work at the WHO in Geneva. The focus of the new job was global vaccination efforts against coronavirus and coordination of activities for WHO, UNICEF and the public-private vaccine organization Gavi.
– Of course I’m disappointed. We thought we had clear signs that this would happen, says Tegnell to the Swedish tabloid Expressen.
Sweden stood out among European nations and large parts of the world for how it reacted to the pandemic. The government did not impose any restrictions that closed parts of the economy and instead relied on the citizens’ sense of civic duty to protect the population.
Swedish authorities advised residents to take a social distance, but schools, bars and restaurants remained open.
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