Do this if you suspect coronavirus infection
Usually you can treat a coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at home in accordance with the symptoms, like other sudden respiratory infections. In the event of severe symptoms such as shortness of breath or a deterioration in your general condition – or if you belong to the severe coronavirus infection risk group – contact your health care provider.
Ill at home
If you fall ill, we recommend you stay at home until the symptoms have clearly declined and you no longer have a fever. Generally three to five days are required. If you must leave your home while ill, you can use a mask if you wish.
A child can go to school or the daycare centre when the symptoms have clearly declined, there is no longer a fever, and the child’s general condition has improved so s/he can participate in instruction or early childhood education.
A vaccination is the best protection against severe coronavirus disease.
If your home test is positive, it is usually unnecessary to verify the result with testing completed in public health care.
Observe the instructions of your workplace in reporting your absence due to illness.
Read more: Instructions for those who have a respiratory infection (in Finnish)
If you have a serious illness or medication that predisposes you to coronavirus infection, follow the instructions of your attending physician or ask the health centre or your own attending physician for more information to start, for example, antiviral medication.
Read more: Paxlovid medication
If you have been exposed to the coronavirus
Persons who are symptom-free need not take a coronavirus sample. You can continue your daily life and act the same way as you would if you had been exposed to some other respiratory infection such as influenza. This means that it is all right to go to work, school, a daycare centre and take part in hobbies and activities, for instance, even if there a coronavirus infection in your family.
If you get symptoms after exposure, read the instructions under “Ill at home”.
More information about the coronavirus: Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (THL)
COVID-19 testing
In the first instance, no formal test is required, but you can take a home test if you wish. A home test does not need to be certified by a health care provider.
If you have severe symptoms and cannot cope at home, please contact your health centre or the national emergency number 116 117.
If you belong to the risk group of severe corona virus, you can contact your health centre with a low threshold.
A positive home test does not need to be confirmed by an official corona test. If you are in the Paxlovid target group and your home test is negative, but you still suspect corona, contact your health centre or occupational health.
Instructions for home testing are available on the THL (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) website:
This is how you perform a coronavirus home test (THL / YouTube) (in Finnish, subtitles in English).
If you have symptoms of coronavirus disease
Do an assessment in the Omaolo.fi service, which provides you with instructions on the basis of your symptoms. You can do an Omaolo symptom assessment anytime, as long as you are able to strongly identify yourself by, e.g. bank identification codes.
If you do not belong to the risk group and you have symptoms of a respiratory tract infection, please fill out one of the following symptom assessments first:
Cough (omaolo.fi)
Painful or blocked ear (omaolo.fi)
Sore throat or throat symptom (omaolo.fi)
Respiratory tract infection (omaolo.fi)
If you at risk for serious coronavirus disease and you suspect that you have caught coronavirus, please fill in the assessment of coronavirus disease.
Assessment of coronavirus disease (omaolo.fi)
The professional gets in touch with you by phone if needed, or you will get written instructions via the Omaolo service. The professional will, if required, also arrange an appointment for a coronavirus test. The professionals handle assessments of symptoms on weekdays 8:00–15:00.
You can also take care of matters on behalf of children under 15 years of age. In its service, Omaolo informs on whose behalf the client is doing business at any given moment. Those over 10 years of age but under 18 receive information about the coronavirus test results at the phone number the person acting on their behalf has provided in Omaolo.
Alternatively, you can contact the health centre in your own community or your own health care provider. During the weekend, contact the joint emergency services.
You will find your community’s contact channels for coronavirus vaccinations and for dealing with the health centre below.
Coronavirus vaccinations in Southwest Finland
Important phone numbers of the healthcare and social welfare services