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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.

17.9.2020 | The Social Security Committee, which started work in spring 2020, will first determine which social security problems it will seek to solve. Before the summer holidays, the Committee outlined four sets of key social security problems: 1) the complexity of social security; 2) combining employment and social security; 3) minimum social security, basic social security and housing; and 4) coordination of services and benefits.

2.6.2022 | The term of the group responsible for the situational picture and modelling of the COVID-19 epidemic ends in June 2022. The situational assessment report, published every other week, has monitored the development of the epidemic and the measures taken to curb the epidemic, but it will be put on hold for now. The question of what practices may need to be adopted in the autumn will be addressed later.

11.6.2020 | FINNISH GOVERNMENT | Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki, PO Box 23, FI-00023 Government, Finland Prime Minister Marin’s Government decides basis for health and social services reform The Government has finalised the policy outlines for the health and so...

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. 

12.8.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has increased slightly compared to the previous week. The total number of new cases reported between 2 and 8 August was 5,017, whereas a week before the number of new cases was 4,618.

22.7.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has been increasing over the past four weeks. The total number of new cases reported between 12 and 18 July was 2,210. The number of cases per week has quadrupled and the share of positive samples has risen to 2.3 per cent since mid-June. Due to vaccination coverage, the number of serious cases requiring hospital care has not increased this summer as fast in proportion to the number of new cases as earlier during the epidemic.

20.5.2020 | The Social Security Committee has started its work by mapping problems associated with social security. The Committee’s parliamentary members have been asked to provide their initial views on the main social security problems that the Committee should seek to solve. Thus, we are not trying to solve the problems yet, but to define the problems to be solved.

9.10.2023 | The Finnish Government proposes about EUR 16.2 billion in appropriations for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its administrative branch for 2024. This is slightly over EUR 134 million more than in the 2023 Budget. The increase is due to needs assessment changes in pensions, for example, and to the implementation of reforms set out in the Government Programme.

27.4.2018 | The ongoing Finnish basic income experiment will be continued according to plan until the end of 2018. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's Government has decided that the universal basic income experiment is pi-loted in 2017–2018.

16.12.2021 | More than 10,500 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Finland between 6 and 12 December. The incidence of new infections continued to increase over the last 14-day period, standing at 360 per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of last week. About 145,000 tests are carried out weekly. On 15 December 2021, the total number of confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Finland was 34. In addition, preliminary screening tests indicate that cases of the Omicron variant are clearly increasing.

28.5.2020 | I have launched a reform of the Act on Social Assistance and appointed a working group to carry it out. Now is the right time for reform. We have been gathering experiences from the transfer of basic social assistance to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) over the past few years. In doing so, we have found several areas that need fixing.

5.8.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cased has increased by 56 per cent over the last week. The total number of new cases reported between 26 July and -1 August was 4,574 whereas, a week before, the number of new cases was 2,925.

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.

20.1.2022 | Nearly 55,500 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 10 and 16 January, compared to more than 57,400 new cases in the previous week. The burden on inpatient specialised healthcare remains high. The burden on inpatient primary healthcare is also increasing rapidly. Vaccines provide good protection against the most serious forms of COVID-19. For this reason, it is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third dose.  

3.3.2022 | It is recommended that everyone aged 18 years or over take a third vaccine dose. Although the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 have been eased, it is still important for people to stay at home when ill, to wear a mask in public indoor spaces and to practise good hand hygiene.

13.1.2022 | Nearly 53,600 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Finland between 3 and 9 January, compared to more than 42,100 new cases in the previous week. Cases are now reported even among people who have been vaccinated. The need for inpatient specialised healthcare has grown considerably while the burden on intensive care remains high but relatively stable. Vaccinations continue to provide good protection against the more serious forms of the disease.

5.1.2022 | Around 38,700 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the past seven days, between 26 December 2021 and 1 January 2022, compared to around 19,600 new cases in the previous week. On 4 January 2022, the total number of confirmed cases of the Omikron variant was 363. The overall burden on hospital care has risen, while the need for intensive care has stayed at its high level.

10.1.2023 | Different ways of organising social security have been examined as part of the preparation of the social security reform. The report on alternative ways of organising social security, which was made by a working group consisting of researchers and experts, was published on Tuesday 10 January 2023.

4.2.2022 | On Friday 4 February, the President of the Republic appointed Member of Parliament Aki Lindén, Licentiate of Medicine and Master of Social Sciences, to serve as Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services and as a member of the Government.