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14.3.2025 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health held a stakeholder event on 11 March to discuss the pandemic treaty that is currently being negotiated under the World Health Organization (WHO). The aim of the treaty is to strengthen international preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies. 

28.11.2021 | As of 15.00 on Sunday 28 November, Finland will restrict entry into the country at its external borders for travellers who have been in Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia or Zimbabwe during the 14 days prior to their arrival in Finland. The Government adopted a decision on the matter on 28 November.

29.6.2023 | The Government has approved an amendment to the Government Decree on Communicable Diseases by which COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus will no longer be classified as a generally hazardous communicable disease. In future, COVID-19 will be defined as a monitored communicable disease. The amended Decree is scheduled to enter into force on 30 June 2023.

18.2.2021 | Over the past four weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases have remained at the same relatively high level across Finland. About 2,300–2,700 new cases are reported every week. The number of people requiring hospital care has remained relatively stable, but the need for intensive care has increased slightly in the past few days. The weekly number of deaths from COVID-19 is decreasing slowly.

13.6.2024 | Avian influenza vaccines will be offered to people who may be exposed to avian influenza. Vaccinations are scheduled to start as soon as possible.

25.7.2023 | In Finland, exceptionally large numbers of deaths have been recorded this summer among wild birds as a result of the A(H5) virus infection. Avian influenza viruses are poorly transmitted from animals to humans or from person to person.

13.2.2020 | The severe infection caused by the novel coronavirus will from now on be included in the list of generally hazardous communicable diseases. The amendment to the Government Decree on Communicable Diseases will enter into force on 14 February.

20.1.2022 | The Government has amended the Decree on Communicable Diseases in respect of notifications to be submitted to the communicable diseases register maintained by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. From now on, physicians will not be required to submit communicable disease notifications of severe infections caused by the novel coronavirus.

22.6.2022 | On 22 June, the Ministerial Working Group on COVID-19 received an epidemiological review as well as an overview of the updated vaccination strategy and testing and tracing strategy.

30.11.2021 | In its meeting on Tuesday 30 November, the Government discussed the state of affairs with regard to COVID-19. The discussion focused on the Omicron variant and on the epidemiological situation and progress of vaccinations in Finland. The Government noted that new restrictions and additional measures were needed in many areas. The Government also decided to reintroduce the national recommendation on remote work.

30.11.2021 | In its meeting on Tuesday 30 November, the Government discussed the state of affairs with regard to COVID-19. The discussion focused on the Omicron variant and on the epidemiological situation and progress of vaccinations in Finland. The Government noted that new restrictions and additional measures were needed in many areas. The Government also decided to reintroduce the national recommendation on remote work.

11.2.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained at the same level as the week before. Finland has succeeded in curbing the epidemic in many regions. Despite this, the virus has spread throughout the country, and new cases have been reported in large numbers in many hospital districts.

11.6.2020 | The Government proposes amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act that enable the development of an information system for contacting people who may have been exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19). The information system would consist of a mobile application and a back-end system with the goal of supporting the management of the coronavirus epidemic.

10.6.2021 | The number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing in Finland, with most areas recording only a small number of new cases. The incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher in some areas of southern Finland than in the rest of the country. However, the epidemic has also continued to slow down in densely populated areas.

3.2.2022 | It is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third vaccine dose.

22.12.2020 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has updated the action plan that guides social welfare and healthcare actors in their work to curb the COVID-19 epidemic. To effectively prevent the virus from spreading, the measures must be proactive and sufficiently broad in scope.

4.2.2021 | The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to grow the week before last, and this trend continued between 25 and 31 January. The positive news is that the number of people tested in the whole of Finland was considerably higher at the end of January than in late December and early January. Contact tracing works well in municipalities although it takes a lot of hard work. It is essential to trace and break new chains of transmission quickly.

3.6.2021 | The COVID-19 situation has improved noticeably in Finland over the past week. There are, however, major regional differences in the development of the epidemic. The incidence of COVID-19 is still higher in southern and southwestern Finland and Central Ostrobothnia than in the rest of the country. The development of the epidemic has, nevertheless, slowed down in many areas.

28.1.2021 | The latest COVID-19 figures for Finland show a clear upward trend in the number of new cases. This is following a long period of relative stability in the number of new cases. The numbers of cases have increased in several hospital districts. Some of the cases are related to known large-scale transmission chains.

27.5.2021 | The epidemiological situation has remained stable in Finland in the past few weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases took a sharp downward turn in late March, which levelled out in late April. Since then the number of new cases has remained stable.