Coronavirus Husin Petäjä: 21% of corona tests positive on the eve – “Three days ago the figure was close to 10%”

Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (Hus) vs. Chief Physician Jari Petäjä says that based on positive corona test results, it appears that the omicron transformation is spreading rapidly among the population.

More than 8,000 coronavirus tests were performed at Huslab on Christmas Eve. 21 percent were already positive.

“This is a very high proportion, when just three days ago the corresponding figure was close to ten per cent and six per cent a week earlier. The high proportion of positive results tells the serious message that omikron is spreading quickly, ”says Petäjä.

According to Petaja, the situation is progressing as expected.

“The number of corona patients is slowly starting to rise day by day, as expected.”

On a normal weekday, more than 10,000 tests are performed at Huslab.

Bridge currently 40-50 people applying for Hus’s joint days every day coronary infection is diagnosed. The majority of them return home, but some are referred to ward care.

On Christmas Day, there were 68 inpatients with coronavirus disease in the Hus area, of whom 22 were in the intensive care units.

“Last week, the corresponding figure was 16-18. There were 30-40 patients in the wards for a while, now the number has risen to 46. In this way, the balance has turned upward, ”says Petäjä.

He predicts that the figures for Midsummer’s Day will be even higher than those for Christmas.

In any case, according to Petaja, Hus has the capacity to handle the situation of the Christmas holidays well, even though the number of patients is slowly rising.

“On Monday, we will return to work, and then activities will be organized with the support of the management of the Husone corona epidemic. We are proceeding according to the so-called escalation model. With it, we are ready to receive new patients, ”says Petäjä.

Coronavirus patients in intensive care units in the Hus area are still almost exclusively unvaccinated.

“The few vaccinees who are being treated in intensive care units have explanatory factors behind the disease. The strong protective effect of vaccination is visible all the time, ”says Petäjä.