Sweden registers 8,304 new COVID-19 cases, 33 deaths on Thursday

Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, registered 8,304 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, health agency statistics showed.

The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 33 new deaths, taking the total to 13,498. 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 neighbors' but lower than in several European countries that opted for lockdowns.