Advertisment

Finland prepares for new COVID-19 variant from South Africa

Finland prepares for new COVID-19 variant from South Africa: Vaccination campaign intensified as BA.5 strain arrives in the country. Fourth dose proposed for high-risk groups to curb disease progression. Extensive immunization contributes to low death toll and improved pandemic situation.

author-image
Medriva Newsroom
New Update

NULL

Advertisment

Finland is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in preparation for the arrival of the new COVID-19 BA.5 strain, which was found in South Africa in January and has already arrived in Finland. Finland reported the first instances of the BA.5 strain in mid-May.

Advertisment

At a news conference on Thursday, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare proposed a fourth vaccination dose for people aged 70 to 79, those with complex heart and lung problems or diabetes, and those suffering from extreme obesity during a news conference on Thursday to slow the disease's progression.

Previous standards were for immunocompromised people over the age of 80 and those over the age of 12. The next storm is expected to hit the United States in late summer or early fall.

According to the institution, the pandemic situation has improved and the death toll has remained low as a result of extensive immunization (2 June). At least 88% of Finnish adults have had at least two vaccinations.

According to the medical journal Laakarilehti, Finland's population of 5.6 million had around one million COVID-19 cases by the end of May. The death rate is 81 per 100,000 people, according to the most available YLE data.

According to Sirkka Goebeler, a health and welfare expert in Finland, as reported by YLE, the number of COVID-related deaths in Finland has been lower than previously recorded, and up to 20% of these deaths may have been caused by something else. Official figures should be available at the end of the year.

FI
Advertisment
Chat with Dr. Medriva !