STOCKHOLM: Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, has registered 16,427 new coronavirus cases since Friday, health agency statistics showed on Tuesday.

The figure compared with 14,063 cases during the corresponding period last week.

The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 28 new deaths, taking the total to 13,430 . 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 several European countries that opted for lockdowns.