Cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise in Sweden, which has a death rate of over 12 percent, the sixth highest in the world among countries with more than 1,000 confirmed cases, as of Thursday, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, Newsweek writes.

Sweden’s death rate is more than twice as high as that of the U.S. (around 5.8 percent), the current epicenter of the outbreak which has the highest death toll in the world, and of China (around 5.5 percent), where the virus was first reported in the city of Wuhan.

The country has sparked controversy for its seemingly relaxed approach to combating the pandemic by surprisingly choosing not to impose a nationwide lockdown, while many of its European neighbors, including across Scandinavia, have done so.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump noted the country was “paying heavily” for its decision. “Despite reports to the contrary, Sweden is paying heavily for its decision not to lockdown. As of today, 2462 people have died there, a much higher number than the neighboring countries of Norway (207), Finland (206) or Denmark (443). The United States made the correct decision!,” Trump said in a post Thursday morning on his official Twitter account.

The country has reported more than 21,000 confirmed cases, including nearly 2,500 fatalities. Its death rate is nearly six times as high as that of Norway (nearly 2.6 percent) and nearly triple that of its other Scandinavian neighbors Finland (nearly 4.2 percent) and Denmark (nearly 4.9 percent).