Coronavirus

  • Bicycle retailers emerging as the winners from the coronavirus crisis

    Last March when one European country after another went to lock down and after toilet paper and sanitisers had sold out; people turned shopping out fitness and sports equipments. Some shops ran out of home fitness machines and accessories. As public transport had also become a "death trap" bicycle, that combines fitness, transportation and social distancing became one of the most wanted item.

  • Coronavirus doesn’t take a vacation

     Memo to government: all hands on deck in the campaign to stop coronavirus in its tracks.

    Most Finns returned from their summer holidays at the beginning of the month. So did the politicians and bureaucrats, many of whom enjoyed a long vacation. 

    But coronavirus doesn’t take a vacation.

    In bone-dry prose, THL (the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) reports the sobering news: 137 new cases were diagnosed between August 5th and 11th. That’s twice as many as the last week of July. 

  • "Acquiring protective equipment failed completely": Finns Party MP Mika Niikko on the Government's coronavirus response

    This spring has been nothing like any of us expected. Our lives have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • "Finland is not a lonely island": MP Sari Multala calls on Government to recommend the use of face masks in public

    Covid-19 has dragged us into a situation where both the present and the future are full of uncertainty. In decision making, this means that with any step we take, we cannot be certain of what the consequences could be.

  • "Finland needs skills and competencies more than ever": MP Eeva-Johanna Eloranta on extending compulsory education

    The Finnish basic school system was created because we wanted to ensure that the whole nation would receive an adequate education. By affording education to all students, regardless of their family background, we wanted to enable every student to find employment and pursue his or her dreams. At the time, the political right opposed the introduction of basic school. Today, we know that Finnish basic school is a success story admired around the world.

  • "The threshold for testing must be lowered": MP Päivi Räsänen on the road to normality

    “I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence…Moreover, he who has contracted the disease and recovered should keep away from others and not admit them into his presence unless it be necessary."

  • "We see lots of happy faces on the screen": how one Helsinki school is adapting to the new normal

    ESH activity coordinator Josette Wolters outside the school on Helsinki's Bulevardi (Image: ESH)

     

    The disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has left no part of society untouched, with education being no exception. With schools across the country remaining closed, teachers are having to come up with creative ways to engage their students.

  • "Withdrawal from globalisation would lead to loss of prosperity": ifo

    The call for a less integrated world expressed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic would lead to a loss of income and prosperity. This is according to a recent study by the ifo Institute. “Rolling back globalization, for example by bringing production back to Germany on a larger scale, would not be a solution to the current crisis,” says Lisandra Flach, Director of the ifo Center for International Economics. 

  • "Women are disproportionally impacted by this crisis": MP Thomas Blomqvist on gender inequality and COVID-19

    It’s probably an understatement to say that the past spring did not turn out as expected. In Finland, as well as in the rest of the world, the past few months have been largely defined by a global pandemic.
  • ”We don’t have the luxury of exiting this nightmare this year”: MP Kai Mykkänen on Finland’s coronavirus measures

    It’s all about the evolution of prevention, not exit.

    In early March we had only one ethically sound alternative: the use of extraordinary measures - whatever it takes - to avoid unmanageable epidemy.

  • Amnesty analysis reveals over 7,000 health workers have died from COVID-19

    New analysis by Amnesty International has found that at least 7,000 health workers have died around the world after contracting COVID-19. At least 1,320 health workers are confirmed to have died in Mexico alone, the highest known figure for any country. 

    Amnesty International also recorded high numbers of health worker deaths in the USA (1,077) and Brazil (634), where infection and death rates have been high throughout the pandemic, as well as alarming figures in South Africa (240) and India (573), where infection rates have soared in recent months. 

  • Around 200 people infected with coronavirus despite being vaccinated 

    According tothe Finnish National Infectious Diseases Register, approximately 200 people in the country have contracted the COVID-19 virus after being vaccinated for the same. 

    Hanna Nohynek, chief physician at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) told MTV that it is difficult to determine the exact number of infections, as many of those who were inoculated could have mild symptoms and may be unaware that they have the virus.

  • Bar in Oulu renamed 'Covid-19'

    The exterior of COVID-19 Bar on Oulu's Asemakatu (Image: Mari Jäntti / Yle)

    A BAR IN THE CITY CENTRE OF OULU HAS HAD ITS NAME changed to 'COVID-19', igniting a storm of mostly negative responses from locals and the Twittersphere.

  • Brussels’ Response to a COVID-19 Recovery

    European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni hinted at the possibility that the Commission may utilise pan-European tools in the form of equities to rebalance risk in the Eurozone. On the same note, the French treasury proposed in a position paper an “equity fund” to recapitalise businesses or buy shares in domestic companies.

    As the European crisis deepens and pressure on the Commission mounts, the following questions arise: How and in what scale will the Commission act? Will the Commission implement a direct or indirect financial instrument to stimulate economies of EU member states?

  • Bus trip results in cluster of South African COVID variant infections

    A new clusterof COVID-19 cases has been traced to passengers on an inter-city bus that travelled from Helsinki to Savonlinna. The Savonlinna Central Hospital has confirmed that the infections were caused by the South African strain of the virus.

    As of Wednesday morning, 64 people were confirmed to be infected with the new variant, which is thought to be more contagious than the original virus. The bus was carrying about a dozen passengers when it made the journey on 26 January.  

  • City of Helsinki to convert disused Herttoniemi Hospital into backup facility for corona patients

    The entrance to the old Herttoniemi Hospital earlier this week (Image: Lehtikuva)

    THE CITY OF HELSINKI HAS DRAWN UP CONTINGENCY PLANS to convert the former Herttoniemi Hosptial into a backup facility for seriously sick coronavirus patients, with officials saying that the site could be fully operational within a week if necessary. 

  • Coronavirus infections detected in 18 Helsinki daycares

    The city of Helsinki just announced that there have been cases of Covid-19 in 18 public daycares operating in the city. So far 24 employees belonging to different working groups have tested positive. Additionally, 2 kids who were cared in the daycares have tested positive. Some of the infected have already recovered. 

  • Coronavirus speeds up Finns’ switch to paying by card

    The crisis has also shaken up consumers’ payment habits. Cash withdrawals have nearly halved during the pandemic, while paying by card has gained ground in domestic purchases. Payment card data by OP shows that the average value of purchases by consumers has grown by 25 per cent, while non-travel related online shopping has increased by nearly a third.   

    For nearly two months, Finns have practised social distancing to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The new situation is also clearly visible in payment habits.

  • Coronavirus vaccine could reach Finland by the end of the year

     A new coronavirusvaccine developed by US-based Pfizer, in collaboration with the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, has made headlines this week. On Monday, Pfizer announced that the vaccine has an efficacy rate of over 90 percent. 

    Finnish medical experts generally agree that the results of the vaccine trials are highly promising.

  • Coronavirus: City of Helsinki says security measures should be "stepped up" after mass exposure at Linnanmäki

    A family at Linnanmäki two weeks ago (Image: Lehtikuva)

    THE CITY OF HELSINKI HAS WARNED THAT CORONAVIRUS SAFETY MEASURES should be "stepped up" in response to a number of recent public exposure incidents, including one at Linnanmäki that occurred last week.

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