Update on the Corona Pandemic in the Republic of Finland August 17, 2020 As of today, the Finnish Public Health Authorities announced that 1 new death have been confirmed within the last 24 hours due to the Coronavirus. Since Covid-19 reached Finland the total mortality rate is now 334 people. 7 752 people have been confirmed infected and 0 people are in intensive care. Due to the deteriorating corona situation in many parts of the world, including Europe, the Finnish government will review the current travel recommendations. The government has stated that there may be a maximum of 8 corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days for a country to be counted as a green country and that no quarantine is needed after returning from such a country. At present, 17 countries in Europe are classified as green - but the situation has deteriorated in recent weeks in several of them so that they no longer meet the criteria. Of the 17 countries, 12 should be moved to the yellow or red category. The government will therefore meet on Wednesday to discuss possible changes in the recommendations and possibly introduce new restrictions in travel. Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo says that the government also has discussed a possible interruption in air traffic between the city Skopje in the Republic of Macedonia and Finland, reports Yle Uutiset. Many cases of covid-19 have been found in travelers who have flown to Finland from Skopje. “According to THL, the infected people have had Finnish social security numbers and that border restrictions are not the most effective way to prevent the spread of infection”. Maria Ohisalo stated. According to Ohisalo, the Minister of Communications Timo Harakka will investigate the matter and then the government makes decisions on the basis of that investigation. Ohisalo nevertheless points out that everyone in Finland has the right to leave the country and to return. Therefore, she claims that the best way to prevent the spread of infection would be functional testing and care staff at border stations. 1 In recent weeks, there have been discussions about whether the testing capacity is sufficient. Especially in the capital region, the waiting time to be tested has been a few days, after which those who have been tested have had to wait for results for a few more days. Minister of Family and Care Affairs Krista Kiuru is worried about a bottleneck effect in the corona test. She has suggested that the testing capacity be increased from 10,000 to 20,000. “There is no justification for having to wait this long to be tested,” Kiuru stated. Kiuru is nevertheless convinced that healthcare is doing its best and that an improvement in testing capacity is on the way. The European Commission has signed an agreement to buy Oxford University's potential corona vaccine against covid-19, if it proves to be safe and effective. Member States may take part in the European Commission's order. It is a potential vaccine manufactured by the company AstraZeneca and developed by Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Once the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective, the Commission has agreed to purchase 300 million doses of the vaccine, with an option to purchase an additional 100 million. The supplier is the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. “It is good news that we are so far that it is believed that there will be an effective and safe coronavirus vaccine, and this is a step in that direction,” says Hanna Nohynek who is a vaccine expert at the Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland, in an interview with Svenska Yle. Finland will obtain this potential vaccine through the EU. “The plan is that the potential corona vaccine that the EU has reserved will also be purchased for Finland, if it turns out to be a good vaccine,” confirms Päivi Sillanaukee, who is head of department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. She says it is not yet public how many doses Finland will receive. “But everyone who needs the vaccine will have access to it,” Päivi Sillanaukee continues. Previously, the European Vaccine Alliance IVA - a group consisting of France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands - also ordered 400 million doses of the same vaccine candidate. The vaccine is currently being tested on thousands of people in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and the United States. Results are expected in September or October. If there are good results, it can then be allowed to be used sometime after that. "Immediately when the vaccine has been approved and provided that Finland participates in this order, the vaccine can be available to Finns," says Hanna Nohynek at the health authority. Päivi Silanaukee at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health says that it is possible that the vaccine can be given to Finns even this year if everything goes well in the vaccine development. But a more realistic timetable is next spring, she says, because additional tests may be required to ensure that it is safe, for example also among the elderly.Five other vaccine candidates have also come a long way in their development, and it is likely that the EU will order even more potential vaccines for safety. 2 Within a couple of weeks, dogs will be deployed to detect covid-19-infected travelers at Helsinki airport. A research group called Dogrisk at the University of Helsinki presented a pilot study earlier this summer, in which the researchers performed blind tests with positive and negative urine samples, reports Swedish Yle. Several dogs have learned to distinguish positive samples - now they are trained to also recognize the smell in clothing. One mystery the researchers are struggling with is how dogs can recognize the smell of covid-19 even in recovered people. “It may be something else, but it is very possible that there is a chronic form of corona,” says Anna Hielm-Björkman, veterinary doctor and associate professor at the University of Helsinki, to Yle. The interest in covid dogs is great, and the research group plans to expand the initiative to, for example, sporting events, museums and large workplaces. Created by: Crisis Committee Monitoring and Taking the Required Procedures Regarding Coronavirus in Accredited Countries by the Embassy of Libya - Sweden Stockholm: August 17, 2020 3 .