This Christmas, too, is not carefree for the corona, but Christmas can still be celebrated, experts say. In the HS survey, tell us how you plan to spend the second corona Christmas and whether the conversion has changed your plans.
Christmas approaching, but at the same time the coronary virus situation in Finland has become more difficult.
For example, hospitals have about 300 coronavirus patients, of whom about 50 are in intensive care. Uncertainty around the world is exacerbated by the virus’s own micron variant, which has also been observed in Finland.
On the other hand, more than four in five people over the age of 12 have received two doses of the vaccine. Can Christmas still be spent with relatives and friends, Head of THL’s Health Security Department Mika Salminen?
“Yes, I think it must be possible to spend Christmas,” says Salminen.
“After all, this life is pretty impossible if nothing can be done. It also has the value of calming down to spend time with loved ones. Not everything can be a corona. ”
The postdoctoral researcher in disease ecology agrees Tuomas Aivelo From the University of Helsinki.
“Of course, common sense and caution are in place during Christmas. We know who is at the highest risk. Recipients of the vaccine can celebrate a little more lightly, ”says Aivelo.
“But it’s not wrong not to go to a nightclub until the night before meeting fragile relatives.”
Multi failed to meet his grandparents last Christmas, for example, because of the coronation situation. Even then, Salminen urged to be only among the nuclear family.
Now Salminen says that he believes that many grandmothers and grandparents are happy to meet younger people.
“It’s worth listening very far to people’s own desires and how they feel.”
Salminen instructs that it is not advisable to go to the family if you become ill and get symptoms of coronavirus disease or flu. In this case, the correct direction is the coronavirus test.
He also urges the organizers of the biggest family celebrations to consider whether it makes sense to hold them now.
If wants to play it safe, home tests can be used, according to Salminen. According to him, they are well suited to alleviate concerns that he may have acquired an asymptomatic corona infection.
“I wouldn’t use it to be a thousand sick and decide on a home test whether to go to the village. If you are ill, you have to go for the right test and not go to parties. ”
According to Aivelo, home tests have a place in controlling the epidemic. The home test also recognizes the omicron conversion. The test is particularly suitable for detecting a symptomatic infection 1 to 5 days after the onset of symptoms.
Read more: Can a person who has been vaccinated twice have confidence in the result of a quick test on the eve of Christmas? HS asked the expert
In addition, when meeting the elderly indoors, Aivelo says that you can use a face mask.
Last Christmas, some Finns went to the so-called Christmas quarantine that is, avoided social contacts before Christmas to avoid getting infected. According to Salminen, this can still be considered now, if there is a possibility.
According to Aivelo, voluntary quarantine before Christmas is not a bad idea again this year.
“Omicron infections are also spread among vaccinees, meaning any of us can spread omicron,” says Aivelo.
Salminen answered a similar question about Christmas last time more than two weeks ago. He was then of the opinion that a vaccinated and basic healther could spend Christmas as they would otherwise.
In two weeks, new information has been received about the omicron transformation, and the disease situation has not eased. However, according to Salminen, his opinion is still the same.
“Yes, vaccination still provides good protection against a serious illness. Even if the disease strikes, it will be milder. ”
Aivelo estimates that by Christmas, omicron transformation will already be the main virus in Finland, at least in the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital districts. Also because of the omicron conversion, it would be important for those eligible for the third dose of coronary vaccine to take their booster dose.
Salminen does not want to instruct the unvaccinated too much, but states that people decide for themselves what to do. Telling others about vaccination status could be fair to others.
“I don’t know if privacy needs to go further mess with the authorities.”
Can you any more during the week to ruin Christmas?
“You almost have to ask the government or the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,” says Salminen. However, at least he doesn’t think family Christmas or meeting friends will be ruined.
According to Aivelo, Christmas is not carefree this year either.
“But yes, it still gets good. On the other hand, with omikron, the situation is much more difficult than you could have imagined about Christmas three weeks ago. On the other hand, vaccines are useful, we understand more about the virus and we know how to reduce the risk of infection in many ways. ”
Information on whether coronavirus restrictions need to be tightened in Finland is expected in the near future. Conditions of the so-called to apply the emergency brake have largely been met.
However, according to the ministry, this week will see how current fairly recent restrictions effective. In practice, one of the following measures would be, for example, to tighten the current restrictions so that they could no longer be derogated from with an corona passport.
Below the survey allows you to tell us about your own Christmas plans. How are you going to take into account the corona situation at Christmas? And what kind of thoughts does the second corona Christmas evoke? The answers can be used in the news on the subject.
HS only uses comments from authors whose contact information is known to the editor in the news. Personal information will not be published or passed on.
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