The prevailing Covid infections can largely be attributed to the Delta variant, said Mika Salminen, director of the department for health security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, THL, at the weekly press conference detailing the Covid situation in Finland, held by the THL and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
"There is little else in Finland other than the Delta variant. The Delta variant has largely conquered the world and supplanted other variants," said Salminen.
On Thursday, 650 new cases were reported in Finland. Infections are largely concentrated in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
To date, about 72 percent of the Finnish population has received a single vaccine dose, while almost 48 percent have received both. According to Salminen, almost half of 12–15-year-olds have received their first dose. The vaccine coverage in people aged 20–35 has not increased as hoped.
"There is a chance that even those who are considered low-risk can get a serious infection at that age. I would highly recommend considering taking the vaccine," said Salminen. He urged men, in particular, to get vaccinated as vaccine coverage is lower in men than in women.
The number of Covid tests currently administered in Finland is high, but the number of positive results from the tests has decreased. A record 13,800 people, however, have been quarantined. Of the new infections, 27 percent were found in quarantined individuals.
The largest decrease in infection rates has occurred among young adults. Infections within the same household are currently the most common source of cases.
Remote work recommendation extended
Juha Sarkio, department head at the Ministry of Finance, announced that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health recommend working from home until the end of September in the areas in the acceleration and community spread phases, due to insufficient vaccine coverage. The recommendation will be re-evaluated in mid-September.
There is no clear answer as to what percentage of vaccine coverage will allow for society’s return to normal.
"I understand that the Ministry of Finance has set the goal for 80-90 percent of the population to be vaccinated. With that amount of vaccine coverage, the infection rates can be effectively lowered," said Salminen, adding that Finland has received a larger than usual shipment of vaccine in the past few weeks, which should speed up coverage.
Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki, Director of Strategy at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, however, pointed out that there is currently no known number for herd immunity and achieving those last few percentage points may be a slow process.
With the onset of autumn sniffles, Salminen recommended that those who have been twice vaccinated and show symptoms should stay home until their condition improves. If one receives a positive result with an at-home test, a PCR test should be taken immediately.
14.10: Corrected fully vaccinated rate