The man leading Sweden's coronavirus response says the country's elevated death toll "really came as a surprise to us."
Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden's state epidemiologist, appeared on "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" on Tuesday, when he described the country's controversial approach.
"We never really calculated with a high death toll initially, I must say," he said.
"We calculated on more people being sick, but the death toll really came as a surprise to us."
As of Tuesday, Sweden reported more than 2,700 COVID-19 deaths and more than 23,000 infections. That death toll is far higher than its Nordic neighbors' and many other countries that locked down.
Tegnell said there were good points to Sweden's unusual strategy, which largely relies on people to socially distance without fixed rules.
But he acknowledged: "I am not saying we are successful in all different ways.
I mean our death toll is really something we worry a lot about."
He noted that Sweden had the same issue as many European countries in terms of
a significant number of deaths in nursing homes, even though visits to such homes have been banned in Sweden.