5 new coronavirus cases detected in Finland

The number of new coronavirus Covid-19 infections continues to grow. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) reported on Thursday five new cases found in three different regions.

With these, the number of infected people in Finland is already twelve.

The Helsinki area, which is also the most populous in the country, remains the one with the highest number of cases, According to THL, three of these new coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish) infections have been identified in the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district (HUS).

According to HUS, the last infected in Helsinki area are a woman and two men, all of them "of working age".

Another case has been found in the Pirkanmaa hospital district, around Tampere. THL did not specify in its release if the diagnosed person lives in the city of Tampere or in some of the surrounding municipalities. According to Yle, the patient is a 44-years-old and is in quarantine at home.

The fifth case was found in the hospital district of Kanta-Häme (Tavastia). Hämeenlinna is the largest city in the area. The infected person is a child who returned recently from northern Italy, Yle says.

Forms of transmission

According to THL, the effective spread of the new coronavirus through shared surfaces has not yet been detected. THL emphasized that "the proportion of virus transmission cases involving surfaces is not considered significant," according to current estimates.

Coronavirus is transmitted from one person to another primarily through respiratory droplets when in close proximity, for example through coughing and sneezing.

"Good hand hygiene contributes to infection prevention. The structure of coronaviruses is such that they do not remain infectious on surfaces for a long period of time, especially at varying temperatures," says Chief Specialist Carita Savolainen-Kopra.

Cleaning agents kill the virus

Even if the coronavirus is found on surfaces using highly sensitive laboratory methods, this does not mean that the virus is effectively transmitted through shared surfaces. Normal cleaning agents can effectively kill the coronavirus.

"The risk of transmission through shared surfaces is of concern primarily in hospitals, where there are many sick and symptomatic patients. In homes, the same instructions apply as with other diseases: clean up well after yourself and avoid, for example, the use of shared towels," says Savolainen-Kopra.