Years to take to overcome COVID consequences

The backlogs created in the provision of health and social services due to the coronavirus pandemic will likely take years to dismantle, according to an assessments report, which examines the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on society.

The report was prepared through cooperation between the ministries that have played a key role in addressing the crisis, said a government press release on Thursday.

So far, Finland has coped relatively well with the COVID-19 pandemic, having lower infection and mortality rates than many other European countries, and used relatively mild restrictive measures, said the assesments.

According to the report, the crisis has not hit the Finnish economy in a way from which it as a whole could not recover relatively well.

The report also states that employment has developed well. However, the State has incurred debt.

Backlogs have been created in the provision of health and social services that will likely take years to dismantle. In particular, the waiting times for mental health services have become significantly longer and care relationships have been cut short.

Although the majority of the population is likely to recover quite well from the crisis, the crisis has exacerbated the inequalities in wellbeing in a way that is unlikely to disappear when the crisis subsides.

The situation has become more difficult for many of those in need of support, and new people have joined their numbers.

However, the scale and scope of the phenomenon will become evident only later after the acute crisis has subsided. The crisis has imposed a burden on personnel in the service system and exacerbated labour shortages.

Looking ahead, it is necessary to prepare for new waves of the pandemic in 2022–2023.

In its recommendations, the report drew attention to issues that require the Government either to act or to pay more attention than usual in order to correct the effects of the crisis.

The working group that prepared the report proposed that, after the acute phase of the crisis, a national dialogue will be held to compile experiences and create a common understanding of the crisis and its impacts on people’s lives and Finnish society. In this public debate, political leaders can play a significant role.

Attention must be paid to responding to information influence activities and protecting citizens from misinformation and disinformation at the level of the Government Programme.

In the COVID-19 crisis, confidence has been found to correlate with vaccination coverage, for example. The working group also proposes that a communication channel and a mobile application be created for public authorities for the purposes of crisis communications and information sharing. It is also necessary to strengthen the Government’s ability and capacity to use rapidly updated information in all circumstances.

It is recommended that a rapporteur or a working group be appointed to consider options to address inequalities and that the next Government prepare systematically for the growing need for health and social services and other services that promote wellbeing.

It is sensible that the digital services developed during the COVID-19 era are established and used in the dismantling of the backlog in services.