STOCKHOLM: Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 7,658 new coronavirus cases on Friday, health agency statistics showed.

The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 27 new deaths, taking the total to 13,788. The deaths registered have occurred over several days and sometimes weeks.

Sweden's death rate per capita is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours' but lower than in most European countries that opted for lockdowns.