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.

This was pretty much a lead pipe cinch from day one.

Covid-19 is ferociously contagious, and not particularly amenable to treatment,  so if you have more cases, you have more deaths.

Q.E.D.