The country's largest circulation daily, Helsingin Sanomat, writes that although the number of coronavirus infections has increased in recent weeks, the situation in Finland is currently not even close to the worst levels of the epidemic last spring.
In a Friday feature report, HS looks at what is different now from the beginning of the spring's “first wave”.
As the paper notes, following a quiet summer, the coronavirus is again the number one topic of discussion in the country. Case numbers are on the rise, the testing system seems to be backed up, and travel restrictions were changed again on Wednesday.
But, it adds that if one takes a good look at the statistics, it is evident that we are still a long way from the situation in the spring.
Thousands of more tests are performed daily than during the worst epidemic period in March-April. Even so, the number of infections confirmed daily is only a fraction of spring's darkest figures.
The paper reports that since the onset of what's being referred to as the “second wave”, the highest number of infections to date was confirmed on 9 August, with 35 infections recorded. On Wednesday, 13 August, last week, officials reported 41 infections, but the cases were spread over several different days as they were recorded, but not reported on the test results day.
The figures were different, for example, on 6 April, during the worst phase of the epidemic. At that time, 211 confirmed new coronavirus infections were reported in Finland. That was, at least so far, the largest single number of daily cases.
And those confirmed cases, Helsingin Sanomat points out, were probably just the tip of the iceberg. In the spring, the testing criteria were strict, and samples were taken only from those whose symptoms were severe. So, the majority of mildly symptomatic cases were excluded from the statistics.
At the most critical stage, at the turn of April – May, 5.4 percent of those tested in the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District showed a positive result. Of the samples now tested, the proportion of positive results is about 0.3 percent.
HS asked several experts, among them Mika Salminen, Director of the Health Safety Department at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL how worried we should be.
“There is no need or reason to panic,” Salminen told the paper. "The situation is very different from the spring, in many ways. Awareness of the coronavirus and its effects are at a very different level among officials and the public."
Salminen urges a realistic view of the situation. He said that it cannot be promised that every case can be prevented, but both the authorities and the public have every opportunity to prevent a situation like in the spring.
In the spring, there was a lot of concern about the capacity of the healthcare system to cope and the adequacy of protective equipment.
Now, according to Salminen, there are no similar concerns.
"The healthcare system has prepared for and learned a lot from the spring, and we do not have any immediate shortage of materials or equipment," Salminen told Helsingin Sanomat.
The paper also notes that there are no new restrictive measures in sight, at least for the time being.
“The government has stated that the intention is to keep society as open as it is. Of course, it requires constant risk assessment, ” Salminen stated. “A lot depends on us doing all we can and making sure the risks stay low.”
Kids in daycare
Several of the morning's papers, including Kuopio's Savon Sanomat, carry an STT Finnish News Agency Q&A on the topic of children’s coronavirus testing guidelines.
The item notes that the guidelines have caused a good deal of confusion and more that a few headaches for parents.
The general guideline is that any child with symptoms that could indicate a coronavirus infection should be taken for testing. On Thursday, THL sought to further clarify the instructions.
Can a child be taken to daycare if the result of a coronavirus test is negative and the symptoms are fading?
- Yes. When the symptoms are clearly diminishing, the child can go to daycare or school, even if the symptoms have not completely disappeared.
If the symptoms end, but the result of the coronavirus test is still pending, can the child then be taken to daycare?
- No. The guideline is that if a test is taken, the result must be confirmed before the child returns to daycare or school.
An appointment for a test has been reserved, but the child's symptoms end first. Can the child go to daycare?
- Yes. If the child becomes asymptomatic before the test, the appointment can be cancelled and the child can return to daycare.
The result of a child’s coronavirus test is negative, but the flu-like symptoms just continue. Does the child need to be re-tested?
- If the child appears to have a reoccurring infection, it is sufficient that he or she is taken for a test when symptoms first appear. If a child clearly has a new infection or if there is reason to suspect a coronavirus infection, for example after an exposure situation, he or she should be taken for re-testing.
Book fairs called off
Turku's Turun Sanomat reports that the two big publishing events of the year, the book fairs in Turku and Helsinki have been forced to adapt to public health needs.
The Turku Book Fair, a event now in its 30th year and originally scheduled for the beginning of October, is being delayed.
As of Thursday, the new date was still open, the Turku fair's programme director Jenni Haukio was unable to tell the paper when the fair will be held, although she was confident that a new date will be found.
Meanwhile, Turun Sanomat also reports that the 20th Helsinki Book Fair will not take place until the autumn of 2021. This year, instead of the originally-scheduled mass gathering, it will be held as an online event on 22-25 October.
According to Ronja Salmi, program director of the Helsinki Book Fair, the work done in the spring will not go to waste, as the programme of the event is now being done online.
“We've compiled a programme for the online fair, which covers different genres of literature, big stars, new released and discussions on social issues. This year, the theme of the program is the future,” Salmi stated in a press release quoted by Turun Sanomat.
The full program of the online book fair will be published on September 23rd.
Farewell to the summer?
If you like hot weather, you'd better get out and enjoy it today, since it's probably the last you'll see this summer, according to the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.
Meteorologist Annina Valtonen, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute points to a high-altitude mass of cold air expected to move across Finland in upcoming days as evidence that the weather is about to change.
“When there are sub-zero temperatures at an altitude of one and a half kilometres, there is a maximum of plus ten degrees on the earth's surface,” Valtonen told the paper.
So, it looks as if autumn conditions are on the way. According to Valtonen, the coldest air mass will not reach southern Finland, but the weather will cool down next week all across the country.
