Finland’s 1st Wuhan coronavirus case spotted

A suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus infection was confirmed on Wednesday in Finnish Lapland, said the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a media release.

This is the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection in Finland.

The coronavirus is known as 2019-nCoV, or more commonly as the Wuhan coronavirus, named after Wuhan City, China—the virus’s epicentre.

The patient is a Chinese tourist, a woman in her early 30s, who arrived first at the Ivalo Health Centre and later was transferred to the Lapland Central Hospital in Rovaniemi, hospital sources said.

The sample, however, was tested in Helsinki where the infection was diagnosed.

The patient arrived in Lapland from Wuhan five days ago, reported the local news media quoting Markku Broas, head of infectious diseases at the Lapland Central Hospital, as saying.

“It is feared that [2019-nCoV] coronavirus cases could have appeared in Finland brought by tourists. The risk of spreading the disease in Finland, however, is still very low. So [there is] nothing to be worried about,” said THL Director Mika Salminen.

There are about 15 people in Finland suspected to have exposed to the infection.

The Lapland Hospital District and the local health authorities will continue to work with THL in this regard. The authorities concerned will monitor the suspect for 14 days, said the THL release.

“Finland is well prepared to face the situation. Healthcare centres and laboratories have operating models in place. Hospitals also have isolation wards to investigate and taking care of the patients,” Salminen added.

Earlier, on Monday, the government urged the country’s people to avoid travelling to the coronavirus-hit regions in China.

The foreign ministry said the authorities were monitoring the coronavirus situation closely in cooperation with other EU countries.

The ministry issued a recommendation saying that citizens should avoid unnecessary travel to Hubei province of China.