Frequently asked questions about COVID-19

I got a positive result from a coronavirus test – what do I do?

It is recommended you stay at home in order to avoid spreading the infection. You will typically start infecting others from about two days before the first symptoms appear, and the risk of infecting others remains for about a week from the start of your symptoms. We recommend you inform your place of work or study as well as other people you may have met during the time you have been infectious about the situation, and tell them to stay at home if they start getting symptoms.

You can return to your normal life when you are symptom-free and the isolation period has ended. Being symptom-free means you do not have a fever and your other symptoms are clearly lessening. If you need sick leave, please contact your occupational health services or your health care centre.

The coronavirus disease i.e. COVID-19 can vary from a disease that is almost symptom-free to a serious disease. The symptoms can also vary as the disease progresses. Most people who get COVID-19 do not need treatment in a hospital. Instead, they recover at home. In such a case, it is important to rest and stay at home.

If you are in a bad state of health, please call 116 117 or in a case of emergency call 112.

You will find more information about the coronavirus and treatment of it on the web page of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

Instructions:

Will everyone who gets a positive result be called by Soite?

Those who get a positive result are contacted with a text message, if the client has given their agreement in the My Kanta service to receive text messages. Please read the instructions provided via the links in the message carefully.

In the current situation, infection tracking is done based on need i.e. infections in social and health care units are prioritized. Please follow the instructions given in the text message.

I got a positive result from a coronavirus home test – what do I do?

No matter what the symptoms are, one should think of a positive result from a home test as if it was a positive result from an official test.

If a home test is positive, it is usually not necessary to verify the infection with a test in health care services.

A positive result in a home test can be verified in health care services if:

• your symptoms are serious
• you belong to a risk group
• you are pregnant
• you work in social or health care

A person who has gotten a positive test result should avoid contact with people outside of their own home, i.e. should stay at home in accordance with the instructions above.

I got a positive result from a coronavirus test. Should I isolate myself from persons who live in the same household?

The spread of an infection happens most easily during the first 1-2 days before the symptoms begin and during the first few days of the infection. Therefore, when the information about the positive result comes, other people living in the same household have already been exposed.

I have underlying diseases. Do I need treatment with anticoagulants?

A mild or asymptomatic coronavirus infection is not associated with a significant risk for blood clots, nor do you need treatment with anticoagulants even if you have risk factors. If you need treatment with anticoagulants for other reasons, this will be carried out in accordance with instructions from your treating physician. Make sure your fluid intake is sufficient, and try to stay physically active. 

However, it is still good to contact the health care services if you have risk factors (text in Finnish) and are not feeling well, and you lack the energy or capacity to be physically active. You can contact your occupational health care provider or the health care centre in your home municipality.

I got a positive result from a coronavirus test and I am pregnant/have recently given birth – what do I do?

If you are pregnant, you should contact Soite’s infectious diseases nurse specialized in coronavirus infections.

Do I get to find out which coronavirus variant caused my infection?

Information about the variant does not affect the isolation arrangements in individual cases, nor does it help to predict how the disease will progress. Within the Soite area, sequencing is not done for all positive coronavirus tests.  A small number of randomized samples are sent to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare for sequencing. The results come with a delay of a few weeks, and patients are not informed about the results separately. Based on incidence curves and information about the Helsinki area, the majority of positive results in our area is of the Omicron variant.

How do I get sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease?

The temporary change in legislation concerning sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease was valid until the end of 2022. From the 1st of January 2023, sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease is no longer paid without an official decision about isolation/quarantine. If you need a certificate for sick leave for your employer, you can ask for it from your occupational health services or at a doctor’s reception.

I have a doctor’s appointment/an operation/a visit to the laboratory, but I am sick – what should I do?

It is not recommended that you visit anywhere, including the laboratory, if you are sick. There are, however, exceptions depending on how acute the need of a visit or an operation is. We recommend you contact the unit you have the appointment, operation etc. to, so that they can give you specific instructions.

If your health requires a visit to health care services, the unit providing the care must always be informed about the infection. Acute treatments and assessments of the need of care are always carried out.

I have been exposed and my employer demands I go to a coronavirus test – what should I do?

This is not part of Soite’s test criteria. An employer cannot demand you go to a coronavirus test. We recommend you contact your occupational health services. If you wish, you can do a home test, but it they not completely reliable if the person who is tested does not have any symptoms.