Finland is currently considering three coronavirus vaccination options, according to public health officials who spoke during a press conference on Thursday.
The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) published Finland’s vaccine strategy and reviewed the country’s current coronavirus situation for journalists at the event.
The National Vaccination Expert Group (KRAR) has recommended that Finland acquire an mRNA vaccine – similar to the much-lauded Pfizer vaccine – for an adenoviral vector vaccine and a protein-based vaccine against coronavirus, a senior THL doctor Hanna Nohynek,
Nohnyek said that in the first phase, vaccines are expected to be scarce, covering only 10 percent of the population. The vaccine team is currently considering who will be vaccinated in the first phase.
Nohynek pointed out that the availability of vaccines also depends on factors such as the mobilization of manufacturers, which groups have marketing authorizations and so on. The coronavirus vaccine is likely to be free for everyone.
"The principle is that the national vaccination program is free. This is also true here," Nohynek said.
Nohynek estimated to Yle earlier that the vaccines could be made publicly available early next year.
The case is rising in big cities
According to a THL elderly doctor, Finland has succeeded in fighting the coronavirus better than other Nordic and European countries Taneli Puumalainen.
"Our defenses consider" Puumalainen said.
The number of cases has increased in the largest cities – Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere and Turku.
However, according to the authorities, many areas such as Vaasa have handled the situation well and stabilized regional epidemics.
According to regional reports, the hospital districts of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme, Länsi-Pohja, Pirkanmaa, Vaasa and Southwest Finland, as well as the province of Åland, are in the acceleration phase.
The remaining 14 hospital districts are at the entry level. However, some of the cities in these areas – Kouvola, Kuopio, Siilinjärvi and Rovaniemi – are entering the acceleration phase.
Finland reported 198 new cases on Thursday.
Most infections occur at home
Nationwide, the source of new infections has been identified in about 55 percent of cases. The source was found in 4% of cases detected in the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS).
Most infections occur domestically and at home, THL said. Just over half of the infections have occurred in family circles.
About 15 percent of infections have been found at nearby events or private meetings, 10 percent have been obtained from workplaces, and during seven recreational activities.
"The majority of infections occur in close circles and at private events," Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki, Director of Strategy at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, said.
However, the epidemic situation is worrying and could worsen quickly, Voipio-Pulkki added.
There were no isolated cases at all in schools and kindergartens. Four percent of infections came from restaurants that THL and MSAH saw as a sign of recent restrictions.
Eight percent of the infections came from outside Finland – the number has increased slightly recently.
The number of patients in hospitals is increasing
Although there are only a few patients in Finland who need hospital and intensive care, the number has increased in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, there were 73 people in the hospitals, 14 of whom were in intensive care.
According to THL’s Puumalainen, more and more middle-aged people are falling ill. However, young people and young adults still have the highest incidence.
Source: The Nordic Page