Current information about the coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a group of common viruses that usually cause a mild respiratory tract infection in humans. In December 2019, an epidemic caused by an outbreak of the coronavirus in humans started in the city of Wuhan, China. The official name of the disease caused by the virus is COVID-19. The novel coronavirus causes respiratory tract infections and pneumonia. A small minority of infected people develop a severe infection.
What to do if you suspect you have a coronavirus infection
If you have been abroad and you have a sudden onset of respiratory tract infection symptoms, such as fever, coughing or shortness of breath, within 14 days of arriving from the area, do as follows:
- Always call a health centre or the info number given in the information of your travel insurance policy first. You will be given instructions for seeking treatment.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a paper tissue when coughing or sneezing. Discard the used tissue immediately.
- If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the upper part of your shirt or jacket sleeve, not into your hands.
When seeking an examination and treatment at a health care institution, you may be given a paper breathing mask. The mask protects the staff and other patients from contagion.
Returning to work and school after travelling
If you have travelled abroad contact your supervisor and school/day care centre manager if you have underage children.
If you have even mild upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, i.e. flu symptoms, you must not go to work or school. In such a case, follow the instructions given by THL and in this bulletin: call your local health centre or the joint emergency duty service of the Oulu region for further instructions.
How to ask for advice and seek treatment
If you have the aforementioned symptoms and have been exposed to the novel coronavirus as mentioned above, do as follows: call either a local doctor or health advice service and discuss the procedures with them first.
OR, if you suspect that you have the disease caused by the coronavirus, call the following numbers:
On weekdays
Kalajoki Health Centre, Tel. 044 4691 502
Himanka Health Station, Tel. 044 4691 803
Merijärvi Health Station, Tel. 044 4691 502, 044 4691 723 (reception advice service on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
At weekends/in evenings
Soite joint emergency duty service 06 8264 500
Oulaskangas joint emergency duty service 08 3157 840
Oys joint emergency duty service 08 3152 655
It is important to call by telephone in order to avoid the risk of infecting others.
A national telephone service can also be contacted
The national telephone service provides advice at 029 553 5535 on weekdays at 8–21 and on Saturdays at 9–15. The service provides general information about the coronavirus, but no health advice or guidance for acute emergency symptoms.
Links to current instructions and epidemic bulletins
Check the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ website for the latest travel advisories (in Finnish). There, you can find important information about travelling abroad and instructions on how to submit a travel report.
- Coronavirus COVID-19 – latest updates
- Frequently asked questions about the coronavirus COVID-19 (in Finnish)
- Information about the disease: coronavirus COVID-19 (in Finnish)
Read more on the THL website.
Preventing coronavirus contagion
- Maintain good hand hygiene, wash your hands with soap.
- Avoid close contact with infected people.
- The effectiveness of wearing face masks and protective gloves is limited.
- People infected outside an epidemic area are isolated and exposed people are quarantined either in their homes or in a hospital in accordance with official instructions.
Cough or sneeze correctly!
- Cover your mouth and nose with a paper tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the upper part of your shirt or jacket sleeve, not into your hands.
- Discard the used tissue immediately.