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17.6.2021 | The COVID-19 epidemic has continued to subside throughout Finland within the last two weeks. However, there is still regional variation in the development of the epidemic, as the incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher in some areas of southern Finland than in the rest of the country. Overall, the COVID-19 situation is calm, with most areas recording only a small number of new cases. The estimated effect...

Areas of experties The administrative sector of the MSAH is wide ranging. The Ministry's work is supported by expertise from all agencies and institutes throughout the sector. Promotion of welfare » Social and health services » Income security » I...

27.5.2021 | The epidemiological situation has remained stable in Finland in the past few weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases took a sharp downward turn in late March, which levelled out in late April. Since then the number of new cases has remained stable.

20.5.2021 | In Finland, the COVID-19 situation deteriorated very quickly in some areas, also at local level, between 10 and 16 May. Despite this, the number of new cases was about 70 per cent lower than between 8 and 14 March when the number of cases was at its highest.

24.6.2021 | The weekly number of COVID-19 cases in Finland is now down to about one third of what was reported in the first week of May. Last week (14–20 June), however, the downward trend in the number of cases slowed down. A total of 514 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register, showing a decrease of about 40 cases from the previous week.

8.4.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases in Finland dropped before Easter, and this downward trend continues. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food or beverages have clearly had an impact. The positive trend can be maintained by continuing with the restrictions, and they should not be dismantled too early or too quickly. The number of new cases remains high, amounting to over 3,000 a week.

17.12.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections is still at a high level, and community transmission is common in different age groups across Finland. It is alarming that more and more infections are found in older age groups and that there is a clear increase in the number of patients in need of hospital care.

25.3.2021 | Between 15 and 21 March, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Finland decreased for the first time since the increase in case numbers in mid-February. Although the rise in the number of cases has subsided at the national level for the time being, new cases are still reported in large numbers. Most of them are reported in southern and southwestern Finland. In March, inpatients in speciali...

1.4.2021 | Slightly fewer new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 22 and 28 March than in the first weeks of the month. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food or beverages seem to have slowed down the spread of the epidemic. It takes some time for the restrictive measures to take effect, and the number of new cases remains high. Therefore, it is possible that the epidemic could take a rapid turn for the worse.

6.5.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to decline between 26 April and 2 May although the rate of decline slowed down slightly. The regional differences in the development of the epidemic have also evened out to some extent. The number of people getting tested is commendably high. It is expected that the need for hospital care will decrease slowly.

19.11.2020 | The number and incidence of new COVID-19 cases are increasing in Finland. Last week, the majority of the new cases were reported in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. Currently, there are so many new cases that the epidemiological situation can worsen rapidly across the country.

International and EU affairs On this page Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s objectives for international and EU cooperation International Affairs Unit EU affairs at the Ministry Global cooperation Nordic and regional cooperation Human rights...

3.9.2020 | The coronavirus situation remains stable in Finland, although the number of infections and the incidence of the disease increased at the beginning of August, compared to the low figures in June and at the beginning of July. Since then, the numbers have stabilised and remained largely unchanged for a month.

13.8.2020 | The number and incidence of new coronavirus infections has clearly increased compared to the low figures at the beginning of July. Nevertheless, the number of cases remains relatively small at national level. The increased number of new cases is most evident in Helsinki and the Uusimaa region.

18.3.2021 | The COVID-19 situation remains difficult in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. Over the past few weeks, the need for specialised healthcare and particularly the need for intensive care have increased considerably in these Districts.

11.3.2021 | Finland recorded nearly 4,400 new cases of COVID-19 between 1 and 7 March, which is the highest number since the epidemic started. The situation is now particularly difficult in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland. The need for hospital care has continued to increase almost throughout the country.

20.8.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections remains relatively small at national level, although the number and incidence of cases have risen compared to the low figures at the beginning of July.

18.2.2021 | Over the past four weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases have remained at the same relatively high level across Finland. About 2,300–2,700 new cases are reported every week. The number of people requiring hospital care has remained relatively stable, but the need for intensive care has increased slightly in the past few days. The weekly number of deaths from COVID-19 is decreasing slowly.

8.7.2021 | A total of 1,282 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 28 June and 4 July. During the previous week the corresponding figure was around 960. The number of new cases has doubled compared to the preceding two-week period: during the past two weeks, the number of new cases totalled 2,240, while in the preceding two-week period, it was 1,093. The weekly number of COVID-19 cases was at its lowest in week 24 (between 14 and 20 June), totalling around 530.

28.1.2021 | The latest COVID-19 figures for Finland show a clear upward trend in the number of new cases. This is following a long period of relative stability in the number of new cases. The numbers of cases have increased in several hospital districts. Some of the cases are related to known large-scale transmission chains.

1.7.2021 | A total of 947 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 21 and 27 June, which is much more than in the preceding weeks. In fact, this is over 400 cases more than the week before. The recent spike in Covid-19 cases is largely due to football fans returning from Russia after attending UEFA European Championship matches. 

Family benefits The purpose of the benefit system for children and families is to safeguard the subsistence of the child and those responsible for his or her care, and to support the care of the child. The benefits are applied for at the Social In...

11.2.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained at the same level as the week before. Finland has succeeded in curbing the epidemic in many regions. Despite this, the virus has spread throughout the country, and new cases have been reported in large numbers in many hospital districts.

22.10.2020 | For the past month, the number of new COVID-19 infections has risen significantly in Finland, but now the growth rate seems to have slowed down. The percentage of positive samples of all tested samples has come down at national level compared to the previous week.

Fighting infectious disease The aim of fighting infectious diseases is their prevention and to stop them from spreading. Prevention is one of the responsibilities of the social and health care services. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is...

Other authorities’ responsibilities in the tobacco and nicotine policy The Finnish Supervisory Agency (the market surveillance of the products and the surveillance of marketing bans), and municipalities (the surveillance of the entire Tobacco Act ...

14.1.2021 | The number and incidence of new COVID-19 cases and the number of patients requiring hospital care have decreased slightly since mid-December 2020. However, new cases are still found widely across the country. It is worrying that people get tested more seldom than before.

4.2.2021 | The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to grow the week before last, and this trend continued between 25 and 31 January. The positive news is that the number of people tested in the whole of Finland was considerably higher at the end of January than in late December and early January. Contact tracing works well in municipalities although it takes a lot of hard work. It is essential to trace and break new chains of transmission quickly.

Key areas of participation and inclusion The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health works to strengthen inclusion and social wellbeing and to reduce inequality. Social exclusion and poverty are prevented by strengthening people’s inclusion and abil...

Vaccinations Decision-making by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health concerning the vaccination programme is made with the support of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Municipalities are responsible for the practical arrange...

24.9.2020 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has risen in Finland over the past few weeks, and more hospital districts are reporting new cases. The rising incidence, the growing share of positive samples, the increasing difficulties to trace sources of infection and the growing number of further infections all foreshadow an approaching acceleration stage in the epidemic. People under 30 years of age account for about 50% of all cases.

5.11.2020 | The number and incidence of coronavirus cases have risen again compared to the past few weeks. While the national epidemiological situation has remained fairly stable for several weeks now, there are considerable regional differences. Getting tested is the key to curbing the spread of coronavirus.

21.1.2021 | According to current information, the Christmas and New Year period did not cause any significant rise in the number of COVID-19 infections. However, new cases are still reported in large numbers across the country. The number of people getting tested continues to be considerably lower than last autumn.

Personalised medicine Personalised medicine (or precision medicine) promotes the health and wellbeing of individuals by utilising research and new technologies and by widening the range of information resources. The aim is to prevent diseases and ...

8.10.2020 | The weekly number of new COVID-19 cases has increased significantly in Finland over the past month. The incidence of cases is growing sharply and the percentage of positive samples of those tested continues to increase. The source of infection is unknown in more than half of all new cases.

23.12.2020 | The increase in the number of new coronavirus infections has slowed down in Finland, but new cases are still found widely across the country.

15.7.2021 | A total of 1,651 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 5 and 11 July. The number of cases has been increasing for the past three weeks. About 540 new cases were reported in the middle of June (14–20 June), after which the number of cases has approximately tripled.

25.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 25 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic has calmed down in Finland. The number of cases reported weekly to the communicable diseases register has still continued to decrease.

Avian influenza In 2023, avian influenza has circulated extensively among wild birds throughout Europe. Black-headed gulls especially have been heavily affected by the virus. In summer 2023, exceptionally large numbers of deaths were recorded amon...

26.11.2020 | The COVID-19 situation has worsened almost throughout Finland but particularly in the Greater Helsinki area and the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. New restrictions and recommendations have already been introduced and will be introduced not only in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa but also elsewhere in the country. However, in South Savo, for example, transmission chains have been kept well under control.

Social security internationally The Finnish social security system is largely based on residence in Finland. A person arriving in Finland for work purposes is entitled to residence-based benefits even if they do not live in Finland. The entitlemen...

10.9.2020 | The number of new coronavirus infections has remained moderate in Finland, and the national epidemiological situation is stable. The weekly numbers and incidence of cases have risen since early August, compared to the situation in June and July.

Creating a good working life together A good working life improves wellbeing, the economic sustainability of society and the competitiveness of companies. A good working life requires that wellbeing at work, work ability and productivity be streng...

12.11.2020 | The current epidemiological situation is characterised by rapid regional developments. Finland still has good opportunities to keep the situation relatively stable by international comparison. This requires that people continue to stay alert and patiently follow the guidelines and recommendations issued by the authorities. We should not be lulled into thinking that the epidemic will end quickly.

29.10.2020 | Rapid developments at regional level are typical of the current epidemiological situation. At the national level, the incidence of new COVID-19 cases, the number of tested samples and the percentage of positive samples of all tested samples have remained more or less at the same level for the last few weeks. The COVID-19 situation in Vaasa is on the wane, and thanks to prompt action, many other regions have also succeeded in breaking transmission chains.

17.9.2020 | The number of new coronavirus cases has increased in Finland during the past week. Several coronavirus clusters and transmission chains have been reported in many hospital districts.

11.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 11 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic continues to slow down compared to the situation two weeks ago. The number of cases reported every week to the communicable diseases register has again decreased clearly.

4.6.2020 | According to the assessment published on 4 June 2020, the coronavirus epidemic has continued to slow down compared to the situation two weeks ago.

1.10.2020 | The weekly number of new coronavirus cases has increased significantly in Finland over the last month. Of the indicators defined in the hybrid strategy, the incidence of new cases both in the previous seven days and in the previous 14 days as well as the proportion of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples taken have grown at an alarming rate.

Support and benefits The Finnish social protection system includes various forms of financial support and benefits designed to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to take part in working life and society in general. Children and parentho...

Occupational safety and wellbeing at work Shortly The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for legislation, policies and international cooperation related to occupational safety and wellbeing at work in Finland. The aim is to ensur...

Advisory Board on Biotechnology The Advisory Board on Biotechnology is an expert body providing advice on matters related to biotechnology and gene technology. It promotes cooperation between public authorities and researchers and operators in the...

Mental Health at Work Programme The Mental Health at Work Programme (2021–2022) was led and coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and it was part of the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy and the Programme of...

Unemployment security In brief Unemployment security consists of a general social security benefit and an earnings-related unemployment allowance. In order to be eligible for unemployment security, you must register with the employment authority a...

15.6.2026 | At the initiative of Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has launched preparations for a national women’s health strategy. The aim of the strategy is to gather information on women’s health and identify solutions that can promote women’s health, wellbeing and ability to work.

13.5.2026 | The rescEU Medical Stockpile hosted in Finland reached its full material readiness at the end of April. All products specified in the original plan have now been purchased and stored and they are ready to go. The project was completed on schedule, thanks to seamless cooperation among the different parties.

General social security benefit The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is preparing a general social security benefit. The benefit would include a basic allowance for living, an allowance for housing costs and a discretionary allowance as last-...

2.6.2026 | Finland has delivered medicinal products to Ukraine from an EU-funded rescEU stockpile, which is hosted by Finland. The value of the delivery is about EUR 151,000. The need for assistance stems from Russia's war of aggression, and the delivery is part of EU support for Ukraine.

18.5.2026 | The World Health Organization (WHO) will hold its 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 18–23 May 2026. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman.

23.3.2026 | The sufficient Finnish or Swedish proficiency of professionals working in the healthcare and social welfare sector forms an essential part of patient safety and service quality. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is currently preparing measures to make it easier to ensure language proficiency, and to support employers in enhancing professionals’ language skills.