Finland is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases, which has prompted the authorities to announce that they will study new restrictive measures for immediate application in the south of the country, where the population density is higher.
The incidence of new cases of Covid-19 disease is increasing significantly in the Helsinki-Uusimaa area, where more than 1.7 million inhabitants live, nearly one third of the 5.5 million country's population.
According to the latest figures released by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), on Wednesday the Finnish fourteen-day incidence rate, of new cases per 100,000 people, was 135.3, up from 71 in the previous two-week period. But in the Helsinki region the incidence was much higher: 220.9, up from previous 130.95.
On Wednesday, the Finnish health agency reported 872 new infections in the last 24 hours throughout the country, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in Finland to 109,230 since the beginning of the epidemic.
In the last two weeks, 7,499 positive cases have been detected, compared to 3,938 in the previous 14-day period.
After Helsinki, the areas most affected by Covid-19 are those that surround the other two main cities in the country. In the coastal Southwest Finland (Turku area) the incidence of new cases reached 179.4 on Wednesday, while in the interior Pirkanmaa region (Tampere and surroundings) it reached 151.7.
Restrictions
The authorities are currently analyzing the situation and do not rule out tightening some restrictions, such as restaurant hours and limits on public gatherings, in the areas of Helsinki and Southwest Finland.
While waiting for the figures of the latest weekly report on the epidemic, to date Finland has reported 982 deaths associated with the Covid-19 disease.
