Sweden’s top disease expert says a surge in new coronavirus cases is a result of more testing. Here, people enjoy the sun and water at a bathing jetty in Malmo, Sweden, on Thursday alongside a sign instructing the public to maintain social distancing.

Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

Updated at 3 p.m. ET

Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says the World Health Organization made “a total mistake” when it included Sweden in a list of countries seeing a resurgence of the coronavirus. The WHO misinterpreted the Swedish data, Tegnell said.

“It is a total mistake,” Tegnell said, according to Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges Radio.

Sweden has been closely watched because of its controversial approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country has urged people to practice physical distancing and follow other safety precautions, it has not ordered a strict shutdown. While many of…