Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
COVID-19 situation is stable — certain changes in infection rates need to be monitored closely
According to the assessment published on 2 July, the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation remains stable in Finland. The number of cases reported weekly to the communicable diseases register has remained low and there has not been much fluctuation in the number of cases when compared to the previous two weeks.
At present, the coronavirus testing capacity of laboratories is more than 13,000 samples per day. This exceeds the target set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, i.e. the daily testing capacity of 10,000 samples. Last week, the number of people tested for coronavirus was higher than in the previous week. There is no major change in the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples taken.
The aim for Finland is still to test all cases where the acute phase of the coronavirus infection is suspected. It is therefore extremely important that the threshold for people to have themselves tested is kept very low. Testing helps to identify the sources of infection and transmission chains and to prevent further infections.
It is estimated that in Finland around 6,700 people, i.e. over 90 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases, have recovered from the disease. The estimate is based on the data obtained during a three-week period (21 days) by monitoring the confirmed cases.
Now the estimated basic reproduction number of COVID-19 is 0.65-0.90. The number has increased slightly compared to the previous weeks, but it is still below one. The basic reproduction number, or the R number, represents the average number of new infections generated by a single infected individual. An R value <1 means that the epidemic is shrinking.
During the last period (22–28 June), no new cases were reported in 14 hospital districts. Most of the new cases were reported in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the Hospital District of Southwest Finland.
A total of 24 people are receiving inpatient care in hospitals. At the moment, there are no patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units. The number of patients in hospital and intensive care is given in the weekly assessment report published by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and on the Institute’s website (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).
The assessment of the coronavirus situation published today and earlier assessment reports are available on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare:
The impact of Finland’s hybrid strategy in combating the COVID-19 epidemic is monitored by means of epidemiological, medical and functional indicators. The strategy aims to prevent the spread of the virus in Finland, protect the capacity of the healthcare system, and shield and protect people, especially those who are most at risk.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare produce weekly assessments of the epidemiological situation both nationally and regionally.
- Coronavirus in numbers: four-week forecast of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa Ссылка на другой сайтОткрывается в новой вкладке
- Earlier assessment reports on the state of intensive care (Kuopio University Hospital, in Finnish) Ссылка на другой сайтОткрывается в новой вкладке
- Government Resolution on a plan for a hybrid strategy to manage the COVID-19 crisisСсылка на другой сайтОткрывается в новой вкладке
Inquiries:Ссылка на другой сайтОткрывается в новой вкладке
Taneli Puumalainen, Chief Physician, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, firstname.lastname@thl.fi (epidemiological questions)
Kari Auranen, Professor, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, firstname.lastname@thl.fi (projection models)
Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki, Strategic Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, firstname.lastname@stm.fi (situational picture and modelling group)