Laboratory results from the Turku University Hospital have confirmed that a new mutation of the South African COVID-19 strain was responsible for the infection cluster traced to exchange students in the Southwestern Finland city last week. 

In light of the rising infection rate in the Greater Helsinki region, the Finnish government plans to make changes to its current vaccination schedule to allot a larger number of vaccines to the worst-hit areas of Finland. 

A new collaborative project between Finland and Sweden made international news this week. The two countries are working together to develop a new kind of icebreaker—a ship designed specifically for navigating through ice. 

The new generation of icebreakers must fulfill the requirements of the shipping industry while also being more sustainable and eco-friendly in keeping with the latest standards.

Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that authorities are no longer conducting COVID-19 tests on travellers crossing into Finland from Norway or Sweden via the border checkpoints in Lapland. 

Finland reported its first case of the Mu strain of the COVID-19 virus earlier this week. Officially termedB.1.621, it was designated a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month and has been detected in 39 other countries so far.

“We are a group of concerned parents who started a PETITION to the Government on 13 March to close Universities, schools, daycares, public places and events due to the coronavirus outbreak. Following the announcement of THL on the testing approach and WHO recommendations to isolate, test, treat and trace in order to suppress and control the epidemic, we updated our petition to include also a plea to the Government to re-consider the testing approach.

More than 200 COVID-19 infections have been detected among foreign berry pickers in Lapland. In Rovaniemi, 70 per cent—180 out of a total of a total of 262—seasonal workers tested positive for the virus within a week.

According toMarkku Broas, chief infection officer of the Lapland hospital district, the berry pickers are housed in camps that do not follow the quarantine guidelines outlined in the Communicable Diseases Act. These camps consequently act as breeding grounds for infections.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE CORONAVIRUS at a restaurant in Kotka after an individual who dined there on Friday evening later tested positive for the virus. 

New data from Statistics Finland and the Finnish Grocery Trade Association suggests that the coronavirus pandemic has had a direct impact on grocery shopping and consumer behaviour in the country, resulting in healthier food choices. 

Finns have bought more vegetables over the past year compared to previous years, while the sale of candy and chocolates has dropped significantly. Customers are also purchasing a higher number of non-alcoholic beverages.

According to a reportby Helsingin Sanomat, nearly 2,000 people in Finland have been infected with the COVID-19 virus after receiving either one or two doses of the vaccine. 

The majority of those infected after being inoculated likely had an underlying disease that compromised their immunity or were exposed to the virus shortly after receiving the vaccine, before the immune response had fully developed. 

A group of scientists are calling for a pan-European coronavirus action plan. Given the high numbers of cases and the new variants, they say, greater efforts to contain the virus are required across the whole continent. Case numbers must be reduced as quickly as possible, as this has strong advantages for society and economy.

Researchers have identifieda new variant of the COVID virus which shares similar traits with the South African mutation. The variant, known as B1525, has already been detected in 13 countries so far.

Two mutated strains of the virus appeared in the UK and South Africa earlier this year, resulting in a spate of infections in multiple countries. According to Yle, the UK variant of the virus is currently responsible for 1 in 10 infections in Finland’s capital region.

Dozens of seasonalberry pickers in Kainuu, Eastern Finland have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. According to health authorities in the region, 44 cases have been detected so far.

Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat reports that several cases in Helsinki have been linked to travellers returning from Spain in July. According toTerhi Heinäsmäki, an infectious disease specialist at Aava Medical Center, 11 per cent of all COVID-19 infections detected in the city last week were traced to people who had travelled abroad.  

The Finnish government has decided to reopen basic education starting May 14th for the rest of the academic semester, which ends at the beginning of June. The decision does not leave any leeway for municipalities, schools, teachers or parents, and makes it compulsory for everyone. Teachers in risk groups or kids who have high-risk family members should present a doctor's statement to stay home. Those who have "flu-like" symptoms can also stay home.

The state of Taiwan has donated the Northern hospital districts of Finland 200000 surgical masks for the fight against the coronavirus. The masks will be very useful, as the epidemic is severely testing especially the hospital districts of Länsi-Pohja and Kainuu. The masks have arrived to the preparedness storage of Oulu University Hospital in Kempele, from which they will be distributed further to the healthcare districts that need them the most. Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Taiwan Friendship Group Mikko Kärnä, involved in arranging the donation to Finland, is in deep gratitude to the state of Taiwan.

AUTHORITIES IN OSTROBOTHNIA HAVE APPEALED for information from the public following the partial destruction of a telephone mast in Pedersöre, believed to be the result of an intentional fire.

Imagine the popular reaction if Sanaa Marin delivered this speech.

What is the current situation regarding coronavirus? What does the future look like? And what is the government’s strategy?

You deserve clear answers to these questions. And you deserve to understand why the recent spread of COVID demands that we take action.

RECENT DATA FROM THL HAS REVEALED THAT Finland has experienced a small spike in coronavirus cases over the course of the weekend, with 17 new infections being recorded on two consecutive days. 

The Finnish governmenthas announced that it will implement a three-week shutdown from 8 to 28 March, during which time bars and restaurants will be closed and secondary and upper secondary schools will shift to distance learning. 

At a press conference today morning, Prime MinisterSanna Marinrevealed that the new measures are aimed at containing the recent COVID-19 outbreak. 

According tomultiple news sources, unvaccinated patients account for 77 percent of those hospitalised for COVID-19 in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).

The Finnish News Agency (STT) reports that the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is recommending that anyone aged 60 or above receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

What we in Iran–the target of a vicious and indiscriminate sanctions regime—have seen from the current U.S. administration is quite straightforward: there is no grand vision for an alternative global community. The U.S.’ fickleness and unpredictability have nothing to do with masterful implementation of game theory. Rather whether it comes to its (mis)management of COVID19 at home or its undermining of peace and stability abroad, the current regime in Washington has no real plan except to frontally assault those who stand by the rule of law.

Government-owned Finnish railway company VR Group is set to begin cooperation negotiations (commonly known as yt-neuvottelut in Finnish) next week. The negotiations will determine the extent to which VR will cut back on its workforce next year.