In a statement to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Public Health Authority THL has proposed a reduction of the mandatory Covid quarantine and isolation period to five days.
Currently, the quarantine and isolation period prescribed by an infectious disease physician is ten days.
THL suggested this in its statement "Reduction of quarantine and isolation should be considered, with an emphasis on immediate and voluntary isolation for five days after the onset of symptoms."
The Authority justified its proposal by stating that many other countries have reduced quarantine and isolation periods and added that reducing quarantine periods should also be considered in order to maintain an adequate number of health workers.
"Rapid isolation is a very effective way to avoid further infections when symptoms caused by Covid occur. In addition, Covid testing and contact tracing are very congested in many areas, so it can take several days to obtain official information," Director of THL Mika Salminen wrote in a press release.
Only an infectious disease physician can prescribe official quarantine or isolation of a symptomatic patient. However, people have been advised to adhere to self-imposed quarantine and avoid contact with others while awaiting test results.
THL recommends shifting the focus away from monitoring
In its statement, THL also evaluates Covid testing and monitoring.
THL recommended shifting resources from infection tracing to medical care and vaccinations because it argued that contact tracing did not work effectively in the current situation. According to THL, the contact tracing policy is ineffective because test results, follow-up calls and quarantine regulations are delayed for several days.
The authority added that monitoring the infections of vaccinated and generally healthy people is not as important in the current situation as securing hospital capacity and giving booster vaccinations.
"It is our view that, due to congestion in testing and monitoring and overall efficiency, resources should now be directed differently," CEO of THL Markku Tervahauta said.
Source: The Nordic Page