Chief Physician of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS), Asko Järvinen, said Evening News on Sunday that Finland needs new restrictions to protect unvaccinated from the coronavirus.
He said that Finland should probably introduce similar restrictions as in other European countries in order to slow down the rate of new infections. Austria, for example, enters a national restriction on Monday amid a new wave of infection.
"The aim is to minimize the risk of infection in unvaccinated adults by limiting contacts so as not to overburden hospitals and intensive care units." Järvinen told the newspaper.
Intensive care units that treat the unvaccinated
He pointed out that 70 percent of Covid patients in standard hospital wards are unvaccinated, while nearly all Covid patients in the intensive care unit are not vaccinated.
Although Järvinen stated that those who are fully vaccinated can get Covid, most people who are vaccinated with coronavirus only experience cold-like symptoms.
He urged policymakers to outline measures to curb Covid as the number of cases increases.
Christmas of the fifth wave
During the last week, about 1,000 daily cases have been reported in Finland, which, according to Järvinen, accelerated the fifth wave of the pandemic in the country.
The National Public Health Institute (THL) reported 1,259 new infections on Thursday and 1,191 new infections on Friday, the highest daily amount in Finland since the start of the pandemic.
However, Järvinen estimates that the infections will increase in the coming weeks and reach their peak around Christmas. However, he said those who received two or three injections, including the elderly, do not need to isolate this holiday season as long as they follow good hygiene practices.
According to Järvinen, Finland is also in no hurry for all adults. He said Covid vaccines provide good protection against severe symptoms of Covid-19 more than six months after the second dose.
The National Advisory Committee on Vaccines (Krar) will meet on 1 December to discuss the introduction of third doses for those under 60 years of age. Top-up injections are currently available to at-risk groups, health care professionals, and nursing home residents and staff.