Mika SalminenHealth and Safety Director of the Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), told MTV News on Saturday that Covid-19 can be removed from the list because it no longer meets all the criteria of a universally dangerous disease.
“I think it’s a viable option,” he said. “We could do excellently even with a smaller classification. This has been the assessment of most infectious diseases doctors at central hospitals for some time now.”
Covid-19 was originally added to the list so that health authorities could issue isolation and quarantine orders to infected and exposed individuals to prevent the spread of the disease. However, according to Salminen, such measures have proven to be relatively ineffective in preventing the spread of the virus.
“It is very doubtful that they will be able to stop a widespread epidemic,” he said.
“We have vaccines, and the disease is not dangerous for all people. Of course it may be for some. A universally dangerous infectious disease is a disease that has a high mortality rate or that weakens people on a large scale.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT