Finland reports 716 new cases, 4 deaths as hospital admissions rise
Health authorities are concerned about the increase in infections in East Helsinki, where a large group of population of immigrant origin resides.
The epidemiological situation in Finland continues to complicate day after day.
On Wednesday, the health authorities reported 716 new infections (353 found on Tuesday and 363 on Wednesday), bringing the total number of cases diagnosed since the beginning of the epidemic to 22,652.
In addition, the National Institute for Health and Well-being (THL) reported 4 new deaths associated with the disease in the past 48 hours, 3 of them occurred in the Helsinki region and 1 in the Kuopio hospital area, in the province of North Savonia. So far, 388 people have died from Covid-19 disease in Finland.
Worrying situation in Helsinki
At this point, the most worrying thing for the authorities is the situation in the capital region, the epicenter of the epidemic and where more cases of infections and deaths (301 to date) have been registered.
In addition to an increase in infections, especially in the East Helsinki neighborhoods, where a large population of immigrant origin resides, on Wednesday was added the clash between the mayor of the capital city and the central government, who do not agree in the best way to manage the epidemic.
On Wednesday afternoon, the city of Helsinki published the figures for the incidence of the disease by neighborhood. The data shows that, as happened last spring, East Helsinki stands out above all other areas.
Asko Järvinen, chief physician of the Helsinki-Uusimaa health authority (HUS) explained to the newspaper Ilta Sanomat that the virus is especially prevalent in these neighborhoods due to the fact that they are inhabited by immigrants and population groups with low income, among other factors.
According to Järvinen, the proliferation of cases in these areas could be explained by the propensity of families to be larger and the difficulties in accessing information due to the language barrier.
Source: Statistics Finland
More patients in hospitals
On Wednesday, the number of people hospitalized due to Covid-19 disease again increased to 134, which is 14 more than Monday, when THL published its previous updated report. The number of patients admitted to intensive care units also rose sharply, from 15 to 21, which is 40% more.
The country's incidence of cases increased during the last two days has also increased. According to THL it was 75.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks. But according to the website of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), at the time of writing this article the number was 75.8 per 100,000 residents.
However, the situation is very different depending on the region.
In the area of the capital city and its surroundings (Helsinki-Uusimaa), the most populated region of the country, the incidence doubles the national average, 155.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the preceding 14 days, according to THL.
In Länsi-Pohja, the northwestern region bordering Sweden, which is the second most affected area, the incidence number declined to 96.9 per 100,000 on Wednesday.