In Sweden, where authorities refused to impose strict quarantine measures in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus, 51,405 people died in the first half of 2020. The death rate in the country has broken a 150-year record, reports on Thursday, August 20, the Daily Mail.

It is specified that out of the total number of deaths, 4,500 people died from the effects of coronavirus infection. Most of those who died were in Stockholm and the capital district. In total, more than 85 thousand people have been infected with the deadly virus in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, and 5802 people have died.

According to the State statistics office (SCB), over the past 15 years, Sweden has recorded the lowest population growth in the first half of 2020. This is also due to the high mortality rate. In addition, experts found the lowest number of marriages since the early 2000s, while the number of divorces reached the highest figures for 13 years.

At the end of July in Sweden, there was a decline in the number of new infections, while in other European countries, on the contrary, an increase in the number of infected people has been recorded in recent days.

Thus, according to a report by the world health organization (who), as of July 29, the number of new infections in Sweden per 100,000 population has decreased by 54 percent over the past 14 days. The average daily number of infections in the country has also been declining over the past month.

Unlike most European countries, which have imposed strict restrictive measures due to the situation with the virus pandemic, Sweden has taken a different path. There were no General prohibitions, and social distancing and self-isolation were of a recommendatory nature. According to Johns Hopkins University, this strategy has resulted in a much higher death rate than in neighboring countries.