The spread of the novel coronavirus may have reached its peak in the region of Swedish capital Stockholm last week and could now start to decline, AFP quoted health officials as saying on Tuesday.

The Public Health Agency concluded in a report using statistical models that 86,000 of roughly two million residents in the wider Stockholm area had the virus on April 15.

According to the official tally, Sweden has recorded 15,322 cases nationwide since the outbreak began, including 6,200 infections in the Stockholm area.

The researchers used modelling based on reported cases and a study of randomly selected Stockholm residents.