Sweden’s state epidemiologist has warned that chasing herd immunity is both ‘futile and immoral’ in the fight against coronavirus.

Anders Tegnell, the architect of Sweden’s liberal approach to the outbreak, said the transmission of an infectious disease could not be fully halted by herd immunity without a vaccine.

The scientist went on to describe how the European nation, which last week took its first step towards regional after seeing a rise in cases over the summer, was now at a ‘critical juncture’ after the number of daily cases rose by 70 per cent in a week.

Mr Tegnell told the German newspaper Die Zeit: ‘There has up to now been no infectious disease whose transmission was fully halted by herd immunity without a vaccine.’