Friday. 29.03.2024

Finland continues to add new infections to its list of coronavirus cases (koronavirus, in Finnish). And since Saturday there is no virus free region.

According to the latest figures published by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), on Sunday at 9:30 the country had detected 1,218 patients diagnosed with Covid-19.

These are the cases reported by the hospital districts to the national Register of Communicable Diseases. The number increased by 55 (or 4.7%) compared to Saturday, when the number of cases reported by the health authority was 1,163.

Of those 1,218 cases, 810 (or 66.5%) have been detected in the region of Uusimaa area (the area around the capital city, Helsinki).

Outside the capital, 78 cases have been found in Pirkanmaa (Tampere and its surroundings) and 58 cases in Southwest Finland (Turku and its neighbouring municipalities).

By gender, 53.6% of the infected people are men and 46.4% are women.

First case in Kainuu

Something new is that the Kainuu region, which until now was free of infections, has just added its first case. As a result, there is no longer a Finnish province free of Covid-19.

Map-Finland-cases-thlImage: THL.

Helsinki-Uusimaa is also, by far, the region that records more infections per 100,000 inhabitants, 48. In Tampere there are 14.6 infections per 100,000 inhabitants and in Turku the rate is 12 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Helsinki-Uusimaa is also the most populated area in Finland and the Parliament (Eduskunta) approved on Friday its isolation from the rest of the country.

Health authorities admit the actual number of infected people is probably much bigger, since hospitals just test those patients with serious respiratory symptoms. People with mild symptoms are generally not tested. They are simply advised to stay at their homes. 

Hospitalizations and deaths

At the time of writing this article, the health authorities have not yet released updated data on hospitalizations and deaths. These data are usually published around 15:00.

On Friday, the country had 112 patients hospitalized, 31 of whom were in intensive care. The death toll until Saturday was 9 people.

Covid-19 is already in all the provinces of Finland