Over the past week, the epidemiologist has made headlines by lashing out at the World Health Organization and labeling as “mad” countries that opted for strict lockdowns.

Throughout it all, Tegnell has argued that the world is only in the first stage of dealing with a long, uncertain battle with Covid-19. That’s why Sweden’s strategy — keep much of society open, but train people to observe distancing guidelines — is the only realistic way to cope in the long run, he says.

On Friday, Tegnell won a very public victory against the WHO, after lambasting the organization for making a “total mistake.” The WHO named Sweden on a list of 11 European countries where it said “accelerated transmission has led to very significant resurgence that, if left unchecked, will push health systems to the brink.” While Sweden remains on the list available on the WHO’s website, the organization has amended its assessment, and said Swedish contagion rates are in fact “stable.” It linked the high number of cases to an increase in testing.