This page will be updated always when there are any changes in Finla Työterveys regarding coronavirus.
23.9.2021 Rapid COVID19 antigen testing in Lielahti, Nokia and Turku
Asymptomatic persons can get a rapid Covid19 antigen test from Finla’s Lielahti occupational health station in Tampere and also in Nokia and Turku stations.
The reason for testing can be, for example, business or leisure travel or access to a work site. It is up to the customer to check that the antigen test is sufficient / accepted for the desired situation. The test can also be taken from family members of our customers, for example.
Package price 109 €, which includes appointment, referral, sampling, test and possible certificate. You can pay the test yourself or your employer can pay it. Covid19 testing for asymptomatic is Kela 0 class activity.
Book a testing time (03) 2563 9555.
23.6.2021 EU digital COVID-19 certificate
The EU Commission’s regulation on EU digital COVID-19 certificate will enter into force on 1 July 2021, allowing EU countries to introduce the certificates and start checking certificates electronically. This happens in different countries at different times.
The Finnish national COVID vaccination certificate was updated to be compatible with the EU vaccination certificate from 22 June. This means that from now on, you will receive an EU COVID vaccination certificate from Omakanta. As of 14 July 2021, you can also get a COVID test certificate and a certificate is you already have had COVIC-19.
The EU digital COVID-19 certificate contains all three certificates:
• certificate of COVID vaccination
• certificate of COVID test result
• certificate of COVID disease
The certificate will include a QR code. The certificate always includes the latest result of the COVID test.
From Omakanta you can find a link to the certificate and a separate menu for opening the certificate. If necessary, the certificate can also be obtained from Finla.
The purpose of COVID-19 certificate is to facilitate safe free movement of citizens in the EU during the covid-19 pandemic. It is up to the citizen to find out the requirements of each target country.
15.6.2021 Rapid COVID19 antigen testing
Asymptomatic persons can get a rapid Covid19 antigen test from Finla’s Lielahti occupational health station in Tampere.
The reason for testing can be, for example, business or leisure travel or access to a work site. It is up to the customer to check that the antigen test is sufficient / accepted for the desired situation. The test can also be taken from family members of our customers, for example.
Package price 109 €, which includes appointment, referral, sampling, test and possible certificate. You can pay the test yourself or your employer can pay it. Covid19 testing for asymptomatic is Kela 0 class activity.
Book a testing time (03) 2563 9555.
28.5.2021 Finland’s national COVID-19 vaccination certificate available in My Kanta Pages
Finland’s national COVID-19 vaccination certificate will be available in My Kanta Pages from 26 May. The common EU COVID-19 certificate will be available in My Kanta Pages in July.
The national COVID-19 vaccination certificate in My Kanta Pages contains information about the COVID-19 vaccinations the person has received. The certificate can be used during border crossings only in the EU countries that accept the national certificate on COVID-19 vaccinations. Generally, travel should still be avoided because the COVID-19 situation is serious in several countries.
Usually the COVID-19 vaccination certificate can be viewed in My Kanta Pages within five days of receiving the vaccination.
The COVID-19 vaccination certificate can be shown from My Kanta Pages on a mobile phone or it can be printed on paper. The certificate has a code for verifying the authenticity of the certificate.
The national COVID-19 vaccination certificate is only available in My Kanta Pages. Persons who do not use My Kanta Pages and do not authorise another person to use it on their behalf can ask the healthcare service for another certificate on a COVID-19 vaccination.
How to get the vaccination certificate in My Kanta Pages
1. Log in to My Kanta Pages on the kanta.fi website with your own means of identification, such as online banking codes or mobile certificate.
2. Select COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate from the menu on the left-hand side. You will also find a link to the certificate section on the front page of My Kanta Pages.
3. Search for the certificate by clicking the link “Check if you have a COVID-19 vaccination certificate (PDF)”. If you have a certificate, it will open in a new tab in PDF format.
More info: https://www.kanta.fi/en/covid-19-certificate
14.4.2021 Actively follow the progress of corona vaccinations in your municipality – risk group 2 vaccinations have started in many places
Corona vaccinations are progressing at different rates in municipalities. For example, Tampere will start on Thursday 15.4. vaccination of persons over 40 years of age belonging to the risk group 2. Vaccination of at-risk people aged 16-64 in risk group 1 will also continue. Vaccinations for healthy people are also progressing in many municipalities in order of age, so at least people over the age of 60 should actively follow municipal information.
Working-age people should not wait for occupational health care to take care of vaccinations. Occupational health actors do not yet have precise information about their role as vaccinators.
As soon as you meet the criteria for vaccination, it is definitely worth using the services of the municipality.
RISK GROUPS
Group 1: Persons with an illness or condition that poses an extremely great risk of severe coronavirus disease.
• Organ transplant or stem cell transplant
• Cancer under active treatment
• A severe disturbance of the body’s defence system
• A serious chronic renal illness
• A serious chronic pulmonary illness
• Type 2 diabetes involving drug therapy
• Down syndrome (adults)
Group 2: Persons with an illness or condition that poses a risk of severe coronavirus disease.
• Asthma requiring continuous medication
• A difficult cardiac disease, including insufficiency (but not mere hypertension)
• Cerebral infarction or other neurological illness or condition affecting respiration
• Pharmaceutical treatment for autoimmune disease that weakens immune defences
• Serious chronic liver disease
• Type 1 diabetes or adrenal insufficiency
• Severe sleep apnoea
• Psychosis
• Morbid obesity (body mass index 40 or more)
25.2.2021 Current info on corona – remember remote services
Favor remote services
Because of the coronavirus, it is important that your company’s staff can access occupational health services remotely via chat and video. There are no additional costs for the company to implement remote services. Use of remote services is billed according to the valid price list.
If your company does not yet have remote services, and you want to use them, please contact your own occupational health nurse or asiakkuustiimi@finla.fi.
If your occupational health contract includes remote services, you should remind staff of the OmaFinla application that can be downloaded to your phone. OmaFinla can be found as a mobile application in the phone’s application store, and it can be used to connect to occupational health care easily and securely.
At Finla, you can still do business safely at physical receptions, laboratories and X-rays. Due to the abundant use of remote reception, the stations are loose, and we have further intensified the cleaning. Our staff will stay home already when mild symptoms of infection appear. The risk of coronavirus infection when doing business at Finla is therefore very small.
We hope that customers who come to Finla’s occupational health stations will use their own face mask or surgical mouthguard throughout their time at the station. Likewise, we hope that all guests will either wash or disinfect their hands before reception.
However, please keep in mind that in order to protect the health of other customers and our staff, you should not come to the reception if you have any symptom of an infection, except for the Lielahti infection reception. In these cases, always contact us first by phone or via OmaFinla chat.
Press release: Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (25.2.2021 9.47)
• A total of over 3,400 new COVID-19 cases were reported between 15 and 21 February 2021, which is clearly more than in the previous week. The incidence of new cases was 62 per 100,000 inhabitants in the whole of Finland, while in the preceding week, it was 46 per 100,000 inhabitants.
• Most of the new cases were reported among working-age adults, particularly among young adults. People under 50 years of age accounted for around 80 per cent of all cases and people under 30 years of age for around 45 per cent of the cases. People aged over 60 accounted for about 9 per cent of all confirmed cases, and people aged over 70 accounted for about 3 per cent of the cases.
• A total of over 11,000 people were quarantined between 15 and 21 February, which is over 2,700 people more than in the previous week.
• These figures are from the monitoring report published weekly by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Government has outlined this at its press conference on 25 February 2021
• In Finland, from 8.3.2021 starts a three-week lockout and the government will state the exceptional circumstances together with the president.
• In this case, all areas of the spreading and acceleration phase go to distance education in the second grade and upper grades of basic education. In addition, group hobbies over the age of 12 will be suspended.
• In addition, the government will submit a proposal to close restaurants, but so that the measures do not apply in basic areas.
• These applies to the following areas: Helsinki and Uusimaa, Southwest Finland, Satakunta, Kanta-Häme, Vaasa, Åland and Lapland.
• In addition, the government recommends that these areas also follow the new guidelines: Eastern Savonia, South Karelia, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Western Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia and Kymenlaakso.
2.11.2020 Coronavirus pandemic situation review and forecast
On October 28, 2020, our CEO Anu Pekki participated in a discussion event where the views of the experts of the Finnish institute for health and welfare (THL) on the coronavirus situation were reviewed. The understanding is that more new waves are expected over the next 18-24 months. The frequency and intensity of the waves are difficult to predict. One possible scenario is that this coronavirus remains circulating in the same way as influenza viruses.
In Finland, the first small-scale vaccination measures are likely to start in Q1 / 2021. The vaccine will not be in widespread use in Finland until H2 / 2021 and the efficacy may be in the class of influenza vaccine. Nothing can be said about vaccination coverage yet, and there are many uncertainties associated with this schedule as well. The vaccine must be very safe in order to justify its use, for example, to vaccinate the youngest age groups (under 30 years of age). Adequate security can only be demonstrated through the very large-scale use of different countries and this is likely to go to the beginning of 2022.
Currently, the most significant tool for influencing a pandemic is cutting off infection chains, where Finland has succeeded well in many areas. A good level of hygiene is also still important, which is hoped to continue even after this pandemic. Also, important factors are restrictions on group gatherings and group hobbies. On the positive side, treatment practices for patients with the most severe cases have evolved by leaps and bounds since the spring.
8.10.2020 We recommend the use of face masks at Finla’s health stations
As the coronavirus epidemic gains momentum, we would like to stress the importance of personal protection to all our customers visiting Finla’s health stations. Based on the public recommendation given to the Uusimaa region, we recommend that all customers visiting Finla’s health stations in Helsinki, Espoo, or Vantaa wear a face mask or a surgical mask for the duration of their visit.
We also request that all customers wash or disinfect their hands before their visit. Facilities for washing hands and disinfectants are available in all our clinics.
Let’s stay healthy and do our best to prevent the spread of the epidemic!
29.9. 2020 Coronavirus testing is important even in mild symptoms
Now that the coronavirus epidemic is re-emerging in Finland after a long quiet period in the summer, we want to remind our customer companies of the importance of active coronavirus testing and infection prevention measures.
It is now paramount that even in mild symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection or stomach disease people go to coronavirus tests and do not go to the workplace until the test result is confirmed to be negative.
Testing criteria and getting to a test
According to current instructions:
A coronavirus sample is taken if within 14 days one has:
– acute respiratory infection (one symptom is sufficient: fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, loss of smell / taste) or
– diarrhea / abdominal pain for no other obvious reason
Getting to a test is easy via a symptom survey in the Omaolo-service.
Residents of Uusimaa have also access to HUS’s Koronabotti.
If your company does not have an agreement with Finla for coronavirus testing, supervisors who grant absence by self-notification may direct an employee to a test directly if he or she has the above-mentioned symptoms. In this situation, referral to occupational health care is only necessary if the symptoms are so severe or prolonged that there is a need for an assessment by occupational health professionals.
If your company has an agreement with Finla for coronavirus testing, we hope that you will contact us immediately after the symptoms appear, either by phone or via chat, to arrange the testing. We currently have good testing capacity, and delays in getting the results are also returning to their previous level of about one to two days.
Tests may be required repeatedly
It is also good to note that coronavirus tests may need to be taken many times from the same person. For example, if you have previously had a negative test for the virus, it does not, of course, rule out the possibility of a new infection in the future. Thus, when new symptoms appear after an asymptomatic period, a new test is performed using the same criteria as those not previously tested.
Writing sick leave certificates and returning to work
If a person has been referred for a coronavirus test based on symptoms, return to work cannot be recommended until the test result is complete and negative. This also applies to situations where the symptoms have passed before getting to the test or completing the result.
Sick leave is written based on disability due to the symptoms, as in the case with symptoms of other infections.
Waiting for a result or test asymptomatic is not a reason to write sick leave. In this case, remote working is recommended. If this is not possible, the employer and the employee agree on how the absence will be handled.
If your company has its own guidelines, for example the number of asymptomatic days before returning to work, or testing after returning from a trip abroad, you need to agree with your employees how to arrange for asymptomatic waiting times. A certificate of sick leave cannot be written on these grounds.
21.8.2020 Coronavirus testing and the need for a sick leave
As the coronavirus epidemic raises its head again in Finland, the authorities’ recommendations and instructions have also become more precise, and there will certainly be many more changes to come during the autumn. At Finla Työterveys, we actively monitor the situation and always follow the instructions and recommendations in force in our own operations.
As test queues and response times increase, issues related to sick leave and return to work will certainly raise a lot of questions. You can find in this memo, Finla’s current policy and related recommendations.
- If an employee has been referred for a coronavirus test due to symptoms, return to work cannot be recommended until the test result is ready and negative. This also applies to situations where the symptoms have passed before entering the test or getting the test result.
- When writing sick notes, we always assess the reduction in work capacity caused by the symptoms in relation to the demands of the job, on the same grounds as for any other disease.
- Waiting for the results or a test appointment when one is free of symptoms is not a reason to write a sick note. In this case, remote working is recommended. If this is not possible, the company and the employee must agree on how to deal with the absence.
- If the coronavirus test has been taken and is negative, you may return to work when your condition allows. Thus, complete resolution of symptoms is no longer a requirement to return to work, if the test is negative. Our client companies may have different, more stringent policies, and we will, of course, follow them as agreed.
- If for some reason a person with symptoms of a respiratory or intestinal infection has not been tested for coronavirus infection, it is recommended that they should not return to work until after one or two (social and health care workers) asymptomatic days, as before.
Your own occupational health nurse will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
6.4.2020: Finla begins laboratory testing for coronavirus infection (COVID-19) 8.4.2020
In the Pirkanmaa region, we will do the testing ourselves in cooperation with Fimlab. Samples are taken at the Lielahti health station. The test can only be taken if you have a referral from a doctor. The price of the test is 195.00 € plus the fee for the time spent by the nurse and doctor according to Finla’s price list.
Outside the Pirkanmaa region, we offer testing in cooperation with Terveystalo. The price of the test performed at Terveystalo is 195.00 € and in addition, the service of Terveystalo’s chat doctor (making a referral and announcing the results) is billed in accordance with Terveystalo’s price list. We bill for the use of time by Finla’s nurse and doctor in accordance with the valid price list.
We follow the recommendations of THL and hospital districts, so testing is primarily targeted at those who are in critical jobs in the society or in their company and who have symptoms appropriate to a coronavirus infection.
If you are interested in getting the testing for your employees, contact your own occupational health nurse. Testing will be added to your occupational health care contract, and testing can only begin once the addition has been made and signed.
17.3.2020 Changes in Finla Occupational Health appointments during the epidemic
In order to ensure the best possible level of service to our customers and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as effectively as possible, we have made a few changes to our operations. The changes will take effect on March 17, 2020.
1. Mild respiratory and flu symptoms should be treated at home with permission of your supervisor.
• Mild symptoms include rhinitis, cough, sore throat, myalgia and fever. You should stay at home for as long as the symptoms stop.
• If you have severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath or decrease in general condition or flu that require medical staff guidance and counseling, first contact your occupational health nurse or our Customer Service via telephone (03 25639555) or chat / video!
2. Appointments for respiratory symptoms
• If you have respiratory symptoms, first contact your occupational health nurse or our Customer Service via telephone (03 25639555) or chat / video!
• In the Pirkanmaa region, all respiratory infection appointments are centralized at the Lielahti health station, from which other activities are relocated.
3. No Finla stations accepts customers without an appointment
• Receptions without appointment will be terminated in the current situation.
• All appointments, including nurses’ appointments, will therefore have to be booked in advance.
