The COVID-19 pandemic was the most significant global public health crisis of the twenty-first century. Its impact on well-being, health care, education, and the economy cannot be overestimated. Even today, the virus continues to be a global concern. There are vital lessons to be learned. COVID-19 provides the Left with yet another strong argument against neoliberalism, deregulation, and inequality. What it does not provide is a credible case against the Swedish pandemic strategy.

Yet, critics on the Left, marshaling arguments that inadvertently repeat far-right talking points, have since the pandemic taken issue with the Swedish government’s approach to the crisis. The most recent example of is an article by Markus Balázs Göransson and Nicholas Loubere published here on November 19. In it, the authors label the Swedish government’s approach to COVID-19 a failure and claim that it was blind to class. They are wrong on both counts.

From 2020 to early 2023, Sweden’s excess mortality rate ranked amongst the lowest of comparable countries and on par with other Nordic countries. While no single metric definitively assesses the success of a country’s pandemic response, excess mortality is probably the best indicator as it reflects the number of deaths exceeding the norm in non-pandemic conditions.