COVID -19 tightens its grip on the nation

A total of over 3,400 new COVID-19 cases were reported between 15 and 21 February 2021, which is clearly more than that in the previous week.

The incidence of new cases was 62 per 100,000 inhabitants in the whole of Finland, while in the preceding week, it was 46 per 100,000 inhabitants, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a joint press release.

Most of the new cases were reported among working-age adults, particularly among young adults. People less than 50 years of age accounted for around 80 per cent of all cases and people aged below 30 for around 45 per cent.

People aged over 60 accounted for about 9 per cent of all confirmed cases, and people aged over 70 accounted for about 3 per cent of the cases.

A total of over 11,000 people were quarantined between 15 and 21 February, which is over 2,700 people more than that in the previous week.

In recent weeks, the COVID-19 situation has worsened, particularly in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. The incidence of new cases has also risen in nine other areas over the past two weeks. However, the incidence of new cases fell or remained the same in 11 hospital districts.

Some of the new cases originated from known chains of transmission, whereas others originated from outside these chains.