Covid Testing Frays in Helsinki as Half of Results Turn Positive

(Bloomberg) -- Testing protocols for Covid-19 have effectively broken down in Helsinki and its surrounding regions amid a surge in positive cases.

Most people now wait three to four days for a test appointment, rendering track and trace efforts in the area meaningless, Finland's health authorities said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, half of all PCR tests are now coming back positive for the virus in the capital area, where the omicron variant accounts for about 90% of confirmed cases.

The Helsinki University Hospital already warned on Tuesday that there's no longer enough capacity to take all essential Covid tests. It's able to do about 7,000 tests a day for a population of roughly 2.2 million.

Across the country, 26% of samples came back positive in the Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 period, compared to 11.8% in the previous seven-day period. While the hospital case load in Finland isn't rising as fast as overall infection numbers, the omicron wave has yet to peak, officials said.

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