THL researcher: Finland has passed the coronavirus peak

According to a special researcher at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) coronavirus case numbers are declining in Finland.

Simopekka Vänskä, a special researcher at THL said, “Based on our assessment, we can say that we are past the peak and the way goes down.”

According to Yle, although the infectivity rate has been estimated based on Uusimaa data, the number of Covid-19 patients in the intensive care and ordinary ward has declined in all areas.

Vänskä pointed out that the figure for infectivity has fallen lower than in THL's end-March forecast.

This estimate assumes that Finland’s current restrictions and social distancing remain in place. If the restrictions change, the epidemic situation could change too.

The government imposed strict restrictions on the movement of Finns and sought to reduce encounters. People over 70 and those in other risk groups have been asked to isolate themselves. Restaurants were forced to restrict themselves to takeaway orders only and the schools closed and started distance learning.

"If a suppression strategy is chosen, this is in line with it. On the other hand, if we choose a strategy that allows the virus to move through the population, this means that it will take longer," said Vänskä.

Restrictions could be loosened

Right now, Finland has tried to slow down the spread of coronavirus so that intensive care capacity is not exceeded.

On Monday, Kirsi Varhila, senior official at the Ministry for Social Affairs and Health, suggested that if testing and tracing capabilities were expanded to allow a switch to a suppression strategy, the current restrictions could be loosened and targeted more narrowly.