After a day without deaths, on Thursday Finland had to regret 2 other deaths that added to the list of fatalities due to coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish).
Since the pandemic outbreak, Finland has lost 19 citizens due to the disease caused by the Covid-19 virus, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Most of those deaths (13) occurred in the Helsinki special area of responsibility (HYKS). Other four deaths were recorded in the KYS area (Kuopio), one in OYS area (Oulu) and another y TAYS region (Tampere).
Source: THL.
In addition, Finland has 160 people hospitalized, 65 of them in intensive care units. This is 1 more person admitted to the hospital and 3 more in intensive care compared to the day before (Wednesday).
One million people at risk
According to THL, the number of people at risk of coronavirus disease varies significantly depending on the region. Based on current data, the risk groups currently include people over 70 years of age and those with a disease affecting lungs, heart or the immune system.
THL detailed that, in relation to the population, the highest rate of people at risk live in the Itä-Savo (East Savo) hospital district, where every third person over 18 years of age belongs to a risk group.
The next most at-risk groups are in the hospital districts of Etelä-Savo (South Savo) and Kainuu. The lowest risk group in relation to the population is in the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital district and in the Northern Ostrobothnia hospital district.
In total, Finland has 870,000 people who are now at risk due to their age, those over the age of 70. But according to THL, there are other 200,000 people between the ages of 18 and 69 who are also at risk due to serious cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung disease, liver or kidney failure, morbid obesity, leukemia, and diseases related to the immune system. This amounts to more than one million people at risk.
By region, and in absolute numbers, the biggest risk group is in the Helsinki-Uusimaa hospital district (HUS). Uusimaa is the region with the highest population density, where 1.6 million Finns live). one third of Finland's inhabitants live. THL says in the HUS area there are 260,000 people over 70 years old and other 55,000 aged 18-69 who are also at risk due to other diseases.
“The measures taken in Finland aim to limit the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic and to reduce the number of people suffering from the disease. It is important that those at risk are now effectively protected from infections," says Taneli Puumalainen, Chief Physician at THL.
