Number of new COVID-19 infections on wane

The number of new COVID-19 cases seems to have started to fall in Finland, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a joint press release on Thursday.

The total number of new cases reported between 16 and 22 August was 4,334. This is about 800 cases fewer than in the preceding week when the figure was 5,176.

However, the number of new cases remains high, and COVID-19 continues to spread especially among unvaccinated young people and adults.

The incidence of cases decreased in almost all age groups between 16 and 22 August when compared to the previous week.

However, among those under the age of 10, the incidence rate went up by 14 per cent from the previous week.

The incidence of cases over the last two-week period (9–22 August) was 172 per 100,000 inhabitants. This is almost the same as in the preceding two-week period (26 July–8 August) when the incidence of cases was 175 per 100,000 inhabitants. Of all the new cases, 6 per cent originated from abroad.

Over 155,000 COVID-19 tests were taken in Finland last week. The proportion of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples was 2.8 per cent, which is nearly one percentage point less than in the previous weeks.

The burden on specialised healthcare has remained stable over the past few weeks. The majority of those in need of hospital care are unvaccinated.

Based on the information provided by the hospital districts, a total of 99 people were receiving hospital care due to the COVID-19 disease on 25 August 2021. Of them, 21 were inpatients in primary healthcare, 56 inpatients in specialised healthcare and 22 inpatients in intensive care.

On 25 August 2021, the total number of COVID-19-related deaths since the start of the epidemic was 1,018.

In Finland, about 71 per cent of the population have received at least their first vaccine dose and 47 per cent their second dose.