No WHO job for doctor who was face of Sweden’s controversial coronavirus strategy
- Top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell had originally left his post to take on a new role at the UN health agency
- Before he stepped down last month, the doctor was synonymous with the country’s softer approach to the pandemic and its refusal to impose strict Covid-19 curbs
Sweden’s former top epidemiologist who became the face of the country’s controversial Covid strategy will not take on a new job at the WHO as previously announced, Sweden’s Public Health Agency said on Wednesday.
The agency in March announced that Anders Tegnell, who gained global attention during the pandemic as the country’s state epidemiologist, would leave to take on an international position with the World Health Organization.
“After a process at the WHO it has proven impossible to reach an agreement,” the health agency said in a statement, without providing further details.
Tegnell became synonymous with Sweden’s softer approach to the pandemic, repeatedly defending health authorities’ refusal to roll out the kind of draconian virus curbs seen in neighbouring European countries.
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He consistently denied that so-called herd immunity was the aim of the approach, arguing that more restrictive measures were not effective enough to justify their impact on society.
