The number of new coronavirus cases has increased in Finland "at an alarming rate in recent weeks," the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health admitted in a press release.
The incidence of new cases during the last two weeks was 10.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. And the percentage of positive Covid-19 cases of all samples taken has risen to 0.5%.
According to the Ministry's latest assessment, the total number of new cases in the last two-week period (31 August-13 September) was 562, while in the preceding two-week period (17–30 August) it was 335.
The majority of the new cases have been reported in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. Last week, a number of new cases and transmission chains were reported, for example, in the Hospital Districts of Päijät-Häme, Central Finland, South Savo and Pirkanmaa.
Incidence of cases increased
During the latest period (7–13 September), a total of 326 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register. In the previous week (31 August – 6 September), the number of reported cases was 236. The incidence of new cases during the latest period was 5.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the previous week it was 4.3.
The incidence of new cases during the 14-day period was 10.2 per 100,000 inhabitants and in the preceding two-week period (17–30 August) it was 6.0 per 100,000 inhabitants.
"This means that the incidence of cases has clearly increased in recent weeks," the Ministry emphasized.
Currently, the estimated basic reproduction number is 1.20–1.25, with a 90 per cent probability. This value indicates how much the virus is spreading. A reproduction rate higher than 1 means that, on average, each patient carrying the disease infects more than one person.
More cases of domestic origin
Over the past few weeks, more and more large domestic clusters of Covid-19 and mass exposures have been reported, and these have resulted in further infections. Most of the new cases are linked to clusters which are already known and have occurred around the country.
According to the Ministry's figures, most of the new cases are of domestic origin. The source of the infection is known in approximately half of the cases. The virus has spread particularly through recreational activities, hobbies and social contacts related to studying.
8,799 infections and 339 deaths
On Thursday, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) reported 49 new infections and zero deaths. A total of 8,799 cases have been confirmed in Finland by 17 September 2020. There have been 339 deaths related to the disease since the pandemic was declared.
It is estimated that about 7,700 people, which is over 85% of all confirmed cases, have recovered from the disease.
The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients has continued to remain at a low level. On 17 September 2020, a total of 14 patients were receiving hospital care due to the Covid-19 disease, and 3 of them were in intensive care
