Late and insufficient response to the pandemic

What happened

Sweden took a different path from most European countries at the start of the pandemic. A commission appointed on a cross-party basis reviewed the decisions taken and the country's crisis preparedness.

Who reviewed

The Corona Commission (a public inquiry led by Mats Melin)

Criticism

The commission found that infection control was initially insufficient, that protection of older people came too late, that the crisis organisation was fragmented and that the Government should have taken clearer command earlier in the course of events.

Outcome

An extended mandate for the Public Health Agency during crises, a review of pandemic preparedness and a new structure of preparedness authorities from 2022. No individual resigned as a direct result of the commission.

Agency's own reply

The Government and the Public Health Agency have accepted the main thrust of the criticism. The Public Health Agency also points out that the strategy has been evaluated internationally and that comparison with other countries is complex.

Updated 2026-07-08

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SVERIGEFAKTA. (2026). SVERIGEFAKTA. Retrieved 2026-10-03, from https://sverigefakta.com/en/agency-oversight/coronakommissionen-2022

SVERIGEFAKTA (2026) SVERIGEFAKTA. Available at: https://sverigefakta.com/en/agency-oversight/coronakommissionen-2022 (Accessed: 2026-10-03).

SVERIGEFAKTA, "SVERIGEFAKTA", https://sverigefakta.com/en/agency-oversight/coronakommissionen-2022 (accessed 2026-10-03).

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  author       = {SVERIGEFAKTA},
  title        = {SVERIGEFAKTA},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://sverigefakta.com/en/agency-oversight/coronakommissionen-2022}},
  note         = {Dataset v2026.2, accessed 2026-10-03}
}

https://sverigefakta.com/en/agency-oversight/coronakommissionen-2022