By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) reported that the number and incidence of new coronavirus infections has clearly increased compared to the low figures at the beginning of July.
Despite the increase, officials say 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.
During the latest period (3–9 August 2020), a total of 139 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register. In the previous week (27 July–2 August 2020) the number of reported cases was 81. In the weeks before, the numbers were smaller than this.
Currently, the estimated basic reproduction number is 1.20-1.60, with a 90 per cent probability.
The incidence of new cases during week 32 was 2.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. The incidence of new cases in the two-week period (weeks 31–32, 27 July–9 August) was 4.0 per 100,000 inhabitants and in the preceding two-week period (weeks 29–30, 13–26 July) it was 1.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.
On Aug. 16, the total number of cases in Finland was 7731, including 333 deaths. It is estimated that over 90 per cent of all confirmed cases have recovered from the disease.
THL recommends that citizens use face masks in certain situations to protect other people. Face masks provide one means of preventing the spread of coronavirus infections. It is still of primary importance that you maintain 1–2-metre safe distances whenever possible, wash your hands, cough into your sleeve or a disposable tissue, and avoid touching your face.
Persons experiencing symptoms must avoid social contacts and get tested for coronavirus without delay.
“The risk of the spread of coronavirus is increasing now that people are returning to their normal day-to-day lives and start moving around more. It has also become clear that the risk of infection is particularly high in crowds. Face masks provide one more means to prevent the acceleration of the epidemic”, says Markku Tervahauta, Director General of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
THL recommends wearing a mask when
- you are in public transport where it is difficult to avoid close contacts
- you are on your way to take a coronavirus test and are waiting for the test results and have an urgent reason to spend time outside your home
- you are returning to Finland from a risk area and are travelling from the place of arrival, such as an airport, to quarantine and also if you have an urgent reason to spend time outside your home during quarantine.
You can also wear a face mask in other situations if maintaining safe distances is not possible.
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