Sweden shunned a national lockdown to try and build herd immunity - could the strategy work in the UK?

The coronavirus pandemic has largely been handled in the same manner across the world, with countries imposing strict national lockdowns to contain the spread.

The main strategy has been to restrict social contact as much as possible in an effort to minimise the risk of transmission, resulting in social distancing measures, bans on household mixing, and more stringent hygiene practices being introduced across the globe.

In the UK, a national lockdown was in place for almost six months, and brought with it the closure of schools, shops, pubs and restaurants, as well as a ban on international travel.

However, not all countries followed the same approach, with Sweden opting for a different strategy in handling the outbreak.

What did Sweden do?

Sweden avoided imposing a national lockdown in response to the pandemic, instead opting for a largely voluntary approach to guidelines.

It was the only country in Europe not to introduce strict lockdown measures at the start of the outbreak, with scientists believing that such an approach may have helped it to avoid a second wave of infections.

The country only implemented minor restrictions to help curb coronavirus infections, which included simple guidance on social distancing and hand washing, a five month ban on gatherings exceeding 50 people, and asking people over the age of 70 and in vulnerable groups to self-isolate.

However, shops, bars and restaurants were kept open throughout the pandemic, as well as borders, while schools were kept open for children under the age of 16.

The country was initially criticised in the early stages of the pandemic, after recording a spike in mortality rates that was five times that of Denmark, and 10 times higher than both Norway and Finland. However, Sweden has recently seen its average daily deaths drop dramatically, with figures now behind that of 13 countries, including the UK and the US.

It is thought that because many young people in Sweden have now already had coronavirus, it has less chance to spread through the population, suggesting the country may have achieved herd immunity.

Recent studies suggest that an infection rate of 43 per cent may be enough to achieve herd immunity, a figure that is much lower than the previously cited 60 per cent.