Updated on 27 March at 18:00.

• So far, approximately 465 000 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed globally. A total of 199 countries have reported infections.
• THL is monitoring and assessing the situation together with the European Centre for Disease Prevention (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

See also:

• Frequently asked questions about coronavirus COVID-19
• Information about the disease: Coronavirus COVID-19

The situation in Finland

• The risk of infection has increased throughout Finland. Over the past week, an increasing number of coronavirus infections have been diagnosed in the Uusimaa region.
• All infection chains are no longer known. Efforts are still being made to keep track of infection chains in order to slow down the progression of the epidemic.
• Finland is preparing for a wider epidemic. The speed at which the epidemic develops will most likely vary across the country.
• The Government, together with the President of the Republic, have declared a state of emergency in Finland due to the coronavirus situation.
• Measures implemented by the Government have included the closure of schools and educational institutions, restrictions on public meetings and mobility, an increase in social and health care capacities and the restriction of border traffic. The policies are in force until 13 April 2020.
• Starting 27 March, the Government will also restrict traffic and movement between the Uusimaa region and Finland’s other regions. The Government Decree on the use of powers laid down in the Emergency Powers Act was submitted to the Parliament for discussion on 25 March. The Decree is currently being discussed by Parliament. The restrictions will be in force until 19 April 2020.

COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Finland

• By 9.30 on the 27 March, a total of 1,025 laboratory-confirmed cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) have been diagnosed in Finland.
• Of the cases reported to the register, 53 % of the infected are males and 47% females.
• The figures are based on the cases reported by laboratories to the National Infectious Diseases Register.
• THL has opened a map application to which it compiles information on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Finland.
• The web address for the application is www.thl.fi/koronakartta.
  • The application presents the confirmed cases in Finland as well as their prevalence, meaning the number of cases per 100,000 residents in the hospital district.
  • Finland’s case numbers can be viewed according the date of testing as well as according to the total number of cases. Additionally, the service includes information on cases by age group as well as the gender distribution of cases.
  • The map application data is based on the data in the National Infectious Diseases Register. It takes approximately 2-4 days from the sampling date before the sample has been analysed, recorded and the information has been updated in the National Infectious Diseases Register. The data in the map application is updated at 9.30 every morning.
  • The now published application will be continuously developed, and more features and information content will be available in the near future. The data on which the map application is based can be retrieved via an open interface link.
  • The THL-published map application was produced in cooperation with Esri Finland Oy.
  • The web address for the data open data description and the interface is https://thl.fi/fi/tilastot-ja-data/aineistot-ja-palvelut/avoin-data/varmistetut-koronatapaukset-suomessa-covid-19-

• Most of the COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Finland have been mild.
• There are currently 108 hospitalised patients, 32 of whom are in intensive care.
• There have been seven deaths in Finland that have been determined to have resulted from the coronavirus. Six of these deaths have happened in the Helsinki University Hospital catchment area and one in the Tampere University Hospital catchment area.
• The actual number of COVID-19 infections in Finland is likely higher than reported, as not all those who have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic are tested.
• Several hospitalised patients have already recovered and been discharged.
• Finnish hospitals are well prepared for examining and treating coronavirus infections in isolation.

The table shows the number of patients by catchment area that have been hospitalised due to COVID-19 and died of the disease (updated on at 8: 00 on 27 March). At the moment, the patient situation is reported by catchment area to ensure patient protection, as the number of patients in catchment areas other than the Helsinki University Hospital catchment area is small.

* Finland’s hospital districts comprise five catchment areas, the centre of which is a university hospital.

Corona sampling in Finland

• By 27 March, nearly 18,000 samples meeting the sampling criteria have been tested in Finland. There may still be delays in the reporting and recording of samples in the National Infectious Diseases Register.
• Hospital districts are testing for coronavirus according to their resources, following THL's instructions.
• Samples are primarily taken from patients with severe respiratory tract infection symptoms and from healthcare and social welfare personnel. At the moment, testing for COVID-19 is predominantly being carried out on patients and those groups of people whose health requires monitoring or if it is important for their line of work.
• Samples from people with mild symptoms returning from trips are still taken at the discretion of a physician. People who have contracted COVID-19, but only have mild symptoms can stay home to recover. People without symptoms are not tested.
• In Finland, coronavirus tests are currently carried out by numerous laboratories in both the public and private sectors. Laboratories have increased their testing capacity to the best of their ability.
• THL is also testing samples collected for influenza laboratory based sample monitoring for coronavirus. So far, the samples have proved negative.

The situation in Europe

• In Europe, the COVID-19 epidemic is widespread in many European countries.
• A total of more than 250,000 cases have been diagnosed in Europe.
• The majority of COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in Italy, and the situation growing worse especially in Spain.
• Many European countries have closed their borders in order to prevent or slow down the epidemic and have imposed extensive restrictions on mobility and public and private sector activities.
• A large number of cases have also been reported in the Nordic countries, a total of over 8,700 cases.
• We are particularly monitoring and assessing the situation closely in the Nordic countries.
• A summary of cases diagnosed in Europe on the ECDC website.
• Numbers of cases in the European countries (WHO)

The situation with the epidemic outside Europe

• The epidemic is widely underway in many countries.
• In the originating area in China, the epidemic appears to have subsided.
• So far, more than 21,000 people have died of the virus globally. The vast majority of infected people have recovered.
• Number of cases in different countries (WHO)

International risk assessment

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus epidemic a pandemic on 11 March 2020.
• The ECDC and WHO regularly update their assessment of the situation. THL is monitoring the international situation, developing guidelines for health care and laboratories, assessing the health risks related to the coronavirus and drawing up assessments of how the situation with the virus may develop.
• COVID-19 (ECDC)
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak (WHO)

Guidelines for tourists

• Due to the exceptional situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs urges that all travel abroad be avoided until further notice.
• Finnish travellers are advised to return to Finland as soon as possible.
• Information on the coronavirus, its prevention and treatment instructions will be distributed to all those arriving in the country.
• Finns returning from abroad and those permanently living in Finland are encouraged to maintain a safe distance to other people and to remain in quarantine-like conditions for 14 days after their journey (home quarantine).
• Number of cases in different countries (WHO)

Media enquiries

We are currently receiving a very large number of interview requests regarding coronavirus.

Please send all interview requests by email to info(at)thl.fi or by telephone to +358 29 524 6161. The telephone number serves customers on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. After 4 p.m., requests can be sent by e-mail.