Most of the new coronavirus alternatives detected in Finland have been traced to the UK, although researchers have also traced mutations detected in positive samples to the rest of the world.
Virologist at the University of Helsinki Olli Vapalahti said in Yle ‘s Ykkösaamu discussion program on Saturday that it was crucial for Finland to prevent mutations from crossing the country.
"More stringent testing and control measures at the border are needed," Vapaalahti told Yle.
On Friday, Finland had traced more than 60 Covid infections to new virus variants.
"There are far too many infections to loosen restrictions … if new variants gain a foothold, we will definitely need tighter restrictions," he said.
Vapaalahti said it expects health care officials to receive new tools in the coming weeks to screen for variants of positive samples.
"We are a small step ahead of other countries in screening for variants, but perhaps a step backwards to prevent countries from entering the country," he explained.
The virologist also said that while it seemed that existing Covid vaccines should work against new variants of the virus, nothing was entirely certain. It was also unclear when the pandemic would subside.
"Vaccines play a key role in controlling the epidemic, but it is not clear when it will happen … different countries will face different situations and that will include their response to the virus."
Source: The Nordic Page