The regional COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup met on 18 January 2022 and stated that, due to the current COVID-19 situation, all currently valid restrictions and recommendations must remain in force and be extended until 20 February 2022. The extensive remote working and remote conferencing recommendation and a strong recommendation to wear a mask in crowded public indoor premises will remain valid in South Karelia until the end of February. It is recommended that the disruption of high-risk and medium-risk team sports and group leisure activities of adults be continued until 20 February 2022.
In the week preceding the meeting, a total of 3,550 tests were taken, of which 22–24% were positive. The 14-day incidence rate continues to rise and is currently 863.5 / 100,000 residents. The share of young adults is still high; most of the new cases have been diagnosed among 20–29-year-olds. In the week preceding the meeting, an increasing number of new COVID-19 infections were diagnosed in children; the spreading of the virus in early childhood education and at schools has accelerated.
Eksote’s chief infectious diseases physician Pekka Suomalainen brought up the statistics compiled by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), starting from the beginning of December, based on which unvaccinated people have a 14 times higher risk of requiring specialised healthcare and a 27 times higher risk of being admitted to intensive care due to COVID-19 than vaccinated people in Finland.
─ Having yourself vaccinated provides protection against a severe form of the coronavirus disease. It is also safer to take the 3rd vaccination dose than to wait for contracting the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, says chief infectious diseases physician Suomalainen.
Instructions for exposure situations as regards children
Clarification was requested from the situation assessment workgroup concerning THL’s recommendation, updated on 14 January 2022, on exposure to COVID-19 in early childhood education and at schools and educational institutions.
─ We instruct families to act based on the type of the exposure: an exposure that occurred within the family is considered to be a high-risk exposure, whilst an exposure that occurred outside the home is considered to be a low-risk exposure, says Eksote’s senior physician Sami Raasakka.
If an unvaccinated child is exposed to coronavirus within the family, it is recommended that the child does not participate in early childhood education or go to school for five days, even if the child has no symptoms.
If the child is exposed to coronavirus in early childhood education, at school, or in leisure activities, and the child develops symptoms after the exposure, the child must stop going to early childhood education or contact teaching immediately and must voluntarily avoid contacts outside his or her household for the minimum of five days.
The parents will notify the school of the child’s illness and absence. If the parents give their permission to inform the child’s teaching group, anonymously, of the possible COVID-19 exposure, the school can do so in accordance with its own practices.
It is proposed that the restrictions applied to public events and meetings be extended
As regards public events and meetings, the regional COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup of South Karelia proposes to AVI that the current restrictions be extended to the period 24 January 2022 – 20 February 2022.
The following decisions of the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) are currently valid in South Karelia:
A decision based on section 58 of the Communicable Diseases Act, issued on 23 December 2021:
The Regional State Administrative Agency forbids, based on section 58(1) of the Communicable Diseases Act, the organisation of all public indoor events that have more than fifty (50) participants in the municipalities of the South Karelia Social and Health Care District.
A decision based on section 58(d) of the Communicable Diseases Act (the requirements of the use of premises intended for customers and participants):
The Regional State Administrative Agency obliges, based on section 58(d)(1) of the Communicable Diseases Act, operators referred to in section 58(d)(4) of the Communicable Diseases Act to organise the use of premises that are open to the public and intended for a restricted selection of customers and participants in the area of the South Karelia Social and Health Care District so that the risk of the customers, persons participating in the activities, and parties contracting COVID-19 due to close contact can be prevented. Operators can implement this obligation by restricting the customer volume, through seating or spatial arrangements, or by some other means that take account of the special characteristics of their activities.
Persons whose COVID-19 test result is positive, must self-quarantine for five days and notify everyone they have met of the possible exposure to the virus.
People whose COVID-19 test result is positive will receive operating instructions in a text message.
Persons whose COVID-19 test result is positive must notify all persons they have been in contact with of a possible exposure, starting two (2) days before they developed symptoms. Instructions must be given to all such contacts to have themselves tested for COVID-19 or to take a home test as soon as possible, if they develop flu-like symptoms. Persons who have been exposed to COVID-19 must exercise caution when in contact with people outside their household.
If there are unvaccinated children in the family of a person who has a COVID-19 infection, these children must stay at home for five days from the onset of the symptoms even if they do not have any symptoms themselves. Persons who have a COVID-19 infection must avoid all contacts outside their household until they have not had a fever for at least two days. However, you must remain in isolation for the minimum of five days from the moment your symptoms started. If you do not have any symptoms, the duration is calculated from the moment the test that came back positive was taken.
Persons with a COVID-19 infection should contact Eksote (please use the number specified in the text message) in the following situations, in particular:
1) you have an active cancer, genetic susceptibility to venous thrombosis or have previously had venous thromboses, or you are pregnant
2) you have worked in the social and healthcare service sector during the period of communicability
3) you know that you have exposed unvaccinated persons to the virus
4) you need a certificate to be absent from work; check whether your employer accepts your own notification!
If your condition deteriorates, call the medical helpline 116 117. If you need urgent care, call the emergency number 112. When your symptoms have subsided and five days have passed since they started, you can begin to live normally without worrying about spreading the virus. Catching the virus corresponds to one vaccination dose, so you can cancel a vaccination appointment, if you had one booked.
The next meeting of the regional COVID-19 situation assessment workgroup will be held on 25 January 2022.
© Koodiviidakko Oy - Y-tunnus 1939962-1