Finland registers 67 new coronavirus infections and 2 more deaths

In the end, the forecasts were fulfilled and Finland exceeded this Friday the figure of 1,000 people infected with coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish).

According to the latest official figures, the country has 1,025 infected people, of which the vast majority (703 cases) are in the Uusimaa region (Helsinki and surroundings), which has 41.7 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. The Government has just ordered police and the army to isolate this area from the rest of the country.

According to the figures published by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL, in its Finnish acronym), that is 67 more cases than on Thursday, when the total number of infections recorded was 958 cases.

THL also reported 2 more deaths, bringing the total death toll to 7 people since the epidemic erupted. Of those deaths, six occurred in the HYKS (Helsinki-Uusimaa) special responsibility area and one in the TAYS (Pirkanmaa, Tampere area) special responsibility area.

The Finnish health authorities refuse to provide some essential data to follow the extent of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country, such as the age and gender of the deceased.

There are currently 108 patients requiring hospitalization, 32 of whom are in intensive care.

The actual number of infections in Finland is likely to be higher than reported because only people with severe respiratory symptoms are being tested. Those who show mild symptoms are advised to stay at home. According to THL, around 18,000 tests have been done.

Several people have recovered, though THL does not say how many.

Increasing percentage of sick women

These figures are based on the figures reported by the laboratories to the Register of Communicable Diseases and reflect the situation on Friday 27 March at 9:30 am.

Of the infections reported in the register, 53% are men and 47 % are women.

These percentages have changed slightly from the previous day showing again a growing number of infections among women. On Thursday, the rates were 54% for men and 46% for women.

A map application

The health authority also warns that the risk of getting infected has increased throughout Finland. Some further efforts are being made this week to slow down the epidemic, but THL admits that at this point "not all chains of infection are known." 

"Finland is preparing for a wider epidemic," which "is likely to progress at different rates across the country," the agency announces in its website.

THL also announced on Friday the launch of a map application that compiles data on laboratory-confirmed cases.

This map will be updated every morning at 9:30 and will show the number of confirmed infections in Finland and their incidence, meaning the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants by hospital district.

In addition, the service provides information on the incidence of the disease by age group and the gender distribution of the cases. But not about the fatalities.

For example, the figures published this Friday show that most of the cases are located in the Uusimaa region, which has 41.7 infections per 100,000 inhabitants and has just been isolated. And that the vast majority of infections (640 or 62.4%) affect people between 30 and 59 years old.

If you want to check the map, you can access it HERE