‘Closing borders is ridiculous’: the epidemiologist behind Sweden’s controversial coronavirus strategy

‘Closing borders is ridiculous’: the epidemiologist behind Sweden’s controversial coronavirus strategy





Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell (centre). (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty)

Top epidemiologist explains Sweden’s unorthodox strategy

Sweden has stood almost alone in Europe in avoiding a lockdown, and in relying on voluntary, trust-based measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. “As a society, we are more into nudging,” says Anders Tegnell, the epidemiologist behind the controversial strategy. He argues that closing borders is pointless when the disease is already everywhere, and shutting schools has little effect unless it’s done very early in an outbreak. In general, Tegnell is happy with the approach, although he regrets how older people in care homes were not sufficiently protected. (Nature | 6 min read)

The coronavirus's deadly march through the body
Although the lungs are ground zero for damage caused by COVID-19, in some people the disease can devastate the heart and blood vessels, kidneys, gut,and brain — and much of its effects remain poorly understood. Science steps through the disease’s destructive path from infection onwards, with a handy infographic. (Science | 14 min read)

Pandemic brings forward UAE Mars mission
The Arab world’s first Mars mission — a spacecraft called Hope — will ship from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Japan weeks earlier than planned, as a result of travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had to expedite activities in Dubai and basically focus only on the critical testing,” project leader Omran Sharaf. Built by UAE and US engineers, the orbiter is scheduled to launch from Japan during a period that starts on 15 July, in which Earth and Mars are suitably aligned. (Nature | Continuously updated)

Experts look back on when everything seemed fine
Even some experienced infectious-disease experts did not fully appreciate how serious the COVID-19 outbreak would become. Some thought that the virus would be successfully contained in China, others were cautious about overreacting and some just couldn’t believe it could happen to them. “Everybody was in denial of this coming, including the U.S. And everybody got hit — just as simple as that,” says leading Canadian infectious-disease researcher Gary Kobinger.Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature.

Read Nature’s continuously updated selection of the must-read papers and preprints on COVID-19.