Majority of Finnish labs unable to identify coronavirus variants
Sending samples to THL for confirmation of variants is leading to delays and longer periods in quarantine.
Samples are currently being sent to THL from many hospital districts to test for virus variants.
Image: Petteri Bülow / Yle
The majority of testing laboratories in Finland are unable to determine if a positive coronavirus sample is a mutated virus variant, such as have spread in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.
Instead, the samples are sent to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) for further examination and confirmation.
In the Kainuu hospital district, this has led to a delay of nearly three weeks in determining if a newer, more highly contagious variant of the virus was spreading in the region.
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ZURICH and BOSTON, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ BC Platforms, a global leader in clinical and genomic data management, analytics and access, announces that it has joined forces with Japan s RIKEN research institution and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare ( THL ), in an international research effort to support development of a precision prediction model to identify those most at risk from COVID-19. RIKEN and THL play significant roles in Japan and Finland, respectively, in the fight against COVID-19, improving society s resilience to the coronavirus pandemic.
RIKEN has developed precise disease stratification algorithms using information geometry and artificial intelligence which is applicable to determine which people are at risk of mortality and aggravation from COVID-19. THL leads a nationwide research project, COVIDprog, which collects samples and data from patients with positive COVID test results to support the identification
Yle survey: Nearly 90% planning to take coronavirus vaccine
More than half of respondents were certain about taking the jab, while two percent said they would refuse the vaccine.
The coronavirus vaccination programme began in Finland on 27 December 2020. File photo.
Image: Silja Viitala / Yle
The majority of people in Finland are either definitely or probably going to take the coronavirus vaccine, according to the results of a survey commissioned by Yle and carried out by pollster Taloustutkimus.
Nine percent of respondents replied negatively to the survey s question, with two percent saying they would definitely not take the jab.
The survey further found that people over the age of 65 were the most likely willing to take the vaccine, with 94 percent of that age demographic responding positively to the question.