Coronavirus pandemic peak still ahead: THL official

Although a researcher from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) earlier estimated that the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in Finland has passed, a senior official of THL on Saturday said that the peak of the epidemic still ahead.

Talking to the Yle TV1 in an interview Professor Mika Salminen, a senior official of THL said that the peak of the coronavirus epidemic still lies ahead, reported National Broadcaster Yle.

The Professor also urged the people to get tested for coronavirus even if they have mild symptoms.

He said that the authorities are now planning to increase testing significantly and tracing of those who may have been exposed to the virus, said the Yle report.

“We’re trying to suppress the seriousness of the illness as much as possible, but it’s completely unrealistic to think that we could somehow rid the world of this coronavirus,” said the Yle report quoting Salminen as saying to the Yle TV1, adding that a vaccine will not be available for at least a year and a half as per the most optimistic estimates.

Earlier, a researcher from THL estimated that the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in Finland has passed.

If the anti-epidemic measures continue to remain valid and human behavior does not change, the disease will fade, Simopekka Vänskä, a senior researcher at THL, told Yle, emphasizing that the estimate is based on the assumption that the anti-epidemic restrictions would remain the same.