Proponents of the Swedish model contend that the country’s relatively higher death rate will look better with time, especially if there is a second wave of the disease. This is a high-stakes bet, and it assumes that many must die now in order to protect the country in the future. But Sweden’s COVID-19 death toll has soared without bringing the country much closer to herd immunity, at least not in light of the available evidence. In countries that lack Sweden’s advantages, the human cost of a push toward herd immunity would likely be even higher.

Sweden’s Coronavirus Strategy Should Not Be the World’s (FOREIGN AFFAIRS)