The Finnish health authorities say they do not see any improvement in the Covid situation and are now recommending a fourth dose of Covid for people aged 80 and over.
At the weekly Covid press conference Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, no change is in sight.
"There will certainly be a day when the situation calms down, but we do not know when." said Voipio-Pulkki. "Many areas currently describe the situation as follows "stuck".
About 969 patients were hospitalized on Wednesday because of Covid, 32 of whom were in intensive care.
Authorities said Thursday that while the number of patients in hospital has increased, the number of patients in intensive care has remained stable since the end of January.
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However, the number of cases has risen dramatically in March, with one in seven Covid cases registered in Finland since the beginning of the pandemic in the last two weeks.
Despite the high number of cases, Covid restrictions are not expected to be reinstated. The risk of congestion in health services remains, but the personal risk of developing severe Covid disease is low.
This is due to vaccinations and immunity acquired through infection Otto Helve Department of Health and Welfare, THL.
"Due to these factors, it is not time to return to large-scale restrictions," said Helve.
THL also announced that it will extend the recommendation of the fourth dose of Covid to people over 80 years of age and those living in nursing homes. In total, about 300,000 people belong to this group.
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Fast schedule
The agency aims to vaccinate these people “as soon as possible,” said THL’s vaccine expert. Mia Kontio at the press conference.
So far, the agency has only recommended a second dose of booster for those over 12 years of age with severe immune deficiency.
However, the Agency considers three doses to be adequate protection for those under 80 years of age.
"As the epidemic deteriorates, the number of cases requiring special treatment has also increased among those under 80 years of age," said THL’s chief physician Hanna Nohy in a press release reporting on the fourth dosing policy.
"Still, three doses of the vaccine give them good protection against serious illness, even in a difficult epidemic. For those aged 80 and over, the three-dose protection is not as good or long-lasting as in younger people."
THL says it will actively monitor the situation during the spring to assess the need to provide a fourth dose of the vaccine to other risk groups.