COVID-19 infections on wane but still high

The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to fall in Finland, but the number is still high, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release.

The total number of new cases reported between 30 August and 5 September was 3,842. This is about 300 cases fewer than the week before when the figure was 4,175.

The incidence of new cases over the last two-week period was 145 per 100,000 inhabitants. This is 16 per cent less than in the preceding two-week period when the incidence of cases was 172 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Over 169,000 COVID-19 tests were taken last week. The percentage of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples taken has continued to decline, standing at approximately 2.3 per cent last week. Of all new cases, 5 per cent originated from abroad and 0.3 per cent were further infections resulting from them.

Prompt contact tracing and quarantine measures prevent further infections effectively. Between 30 August and 5 September, a total of 11,849 people were quarantined, which is almost the same number as the week before.

In Finland, 82.4 per cent of people over 12 years of age have received their first vaccine dose and 61.3 per cent their second dose.