What is going on with Sweden and COVID-19?

Continuing the discussion from More deaths caused by non-religious people: millions in Sweden:

Earlier this week, Sweden’s government epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, admitted that his plans for how the country should handle the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hasn’t quite worked out as he hoped, saying there’s “quite obviously a potential for improvement in what we have done,” according to one translation. There are probably very few public health officials on the planet who couldn’t say the same. But Tegnell’s admission made headlines, largely because Sweden has charted its own path, starting with relatively light restrictions compared to other European countries in the hope that the pandemic’s economic impact would be blunted.

That approach has turned Sweden into a political talking point far from the Baltic Sea, with many people who would be horrified by Sweden’s taxation levels and social safety net suddenly adopting it as a model of minimal government intervention. The role of Sweden in Internet arguments grew increasingly large as opposition to social distancing measures became organized in a number of countries. So, with the country’s coronavirus plan architect saying mistakes were made, it’s worth taking a look at how Sweden handled the pandemic—and what the results have been.