New data from Statistics Finland suggests a steep rise in the country’s unemployment rate over the past year. According to the data agency’s Labour Force Survey, there were 235,000 people without jobs as of January 2021. 

The country’s employment rate stood at 69.9 per cent this year, compared to 71.9 per cent in 2020. There were 41,000 more unemployed people in January 2021 than in the same period last year.  

THE MINISTRY FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND HEALTH has announced that coronavirus testing points will be rolled out at ports across Finland, with the intention of boosting testing capacity for arrivals from high-risk countries in particular.

 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.

FINNAIR HAVE BOOSTED THEIR CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY by removing the economy seats from two of their Airbus A330 passenger aircraft. The additional cabin space will be used to transport essential supplies into Finland during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

FINNAIR HAS ANNOUNCED THAT it will be suspending all flights to Mainland China throughout February, with no flights running to the country between 6-29 February. The carrier cited concerns over the impact of the Wuhan Coronavirus as the reason for the decision. 

FINNISH MOVIE THEATRES ARE ALL SET TO OPEN ON JULY 1, following more than three months of closures due to COVID-19. Some larger theatres than met certain requirements were already permitted to open in June, but all remaining restrictions will be lifted next Wednesday. 

RESEARCHERS AT AALTO UNIVERSITY, VTT, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute have conducted a series of simulations of the COVID-19 virus which has suggested that the contagious viral particles remain airborne for much longer than previously considered. 

AT A GOVERNMENT PRESS CONFERENCE THIS EVENING, PM Sanna Marin announced that all gatherings of more than 500 people will be prohibited until at least 31 July, meaning that all summer festivals scheduled to take place before then are effectively cancelled.

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT HAS RULED that the sale of pharmaceutical and medical supplies that are used in hospital care will be significantly restricted and reduced, as part of an effort to conserve essential supplies in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT HAS OUTLINED details of a €120 million support package for restaurants and food service workers who have lost income as a result of disruption stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED that it will be repealing the Emergency Powers Act, which was put in place to give government officials extraordinary powers to help curb the spread of COVID-19. 

THE LATEST DATA ON COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN FINLAND has revealed that a number of municipalities that are on the border with Sweden now have some of the highest rates of infection per 100,000 people in the country, with several places having higher rates than the capital region. 

HELSINKI'S KANSALLISTEATTERI HAS ANNOUNCED that it will be cancelling all of its spring shows and suspending ticket sales until late May in an effort to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. In addition, Helsinki's public transport network, HSL, has said it will no longer allow passengers to buy bus tickets directly from drivers.

A PATIENT INFECTED WITH THE COVID-19 VIRUS has entered the intensive care unit (ICU) at Helsinki University Hospital, the first patient in Finland to require such treatment. In addition, the CEO of THL, Markky Tervahauta, has stated that the number of actual coronavirus cases in Finland is likely to be 20-30 times higher than official estimates.

Local headlines today featured a dead body that was found in a storm drain close to a daycare centre in Helsinki. In Jyväskylä, more than a 100 people have been advised to undergo quarantine after being potentially exposed to the coronavirus at a school. 

In other news, the pandemic has led to increasing instances of aggression and misbehaviour among retail customers, while Finland could be on the verge of an abandoned pet crisis. 

Nearly 390 football fans who travelled to Russia to watch Finland play in the UEFA Euro 2020 matches have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus as of Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. 

Local newspapers also reported that the Salmonella outbreak that began in Jyväskylä two weeksago has now led to a total of 442 cases of food poisoning. 

The COVID- 19 virushas been spreading at an alarming rate among Finland’s armed forces. Many attribute the rising number of cases to the lack of preventive measures in garrisons, where there are often no provisions for quarantining infected soldiers.

The number of infections among children below the age of 10 has also increased significantly. This is likely attributed to the highly contagious British variant of the virus, which has been spreading rapidly in Finland since December.  

According toUNICEF’sThe State of the World's Children 2021report, the harmful effects of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of children is only the “tip of the iceberg.”

Thereport states that globally, over one in seven children aged 10–17 suffers from a mental illness, with disorders in young people leading to estimated losses in terms of contribution to economies of nearly $390 billion a year. 

The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) has reported an alarming rise in the number of hospitalisations due to the COVID-19 virus.Kirsi Varhila, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,told Yle that she believes the country has lifted restrictions too early. 

Finland has followed in the footsteps of Sweden and Denmark and limited the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The country will stop administering the vaccine to men below the age of 30 due to a rare side effect. 

Southwest Finlandcurrently has more COVID-19 patients in intensive care than ever before during the pandemic. A staggering 90 percent of patients in the ICU are reportedly unvaccinated.

The coronavirus coordination group of Southwest Finland has stated that the situation is worrying, as the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation and intensive care has reached a critical level.