Report: Number of Covid patients in intensive care remains stubbornly high yle.fi - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yle.fi Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
March saw the highest number of people receiving intensive care for coronavirus of the pandemic so far.
Hospital intensive care units received a total of 133 coronavirus patients, surpassing a previous peak of 115 reached in April last year.
On Wednesday there were a total of 172 patients in Finnish intensive care units, 50 of whom were being treated for coronavirus, down from a recent peak of 64.
30 of the patients in ICU on Wednesday were in the Helsinki and Uusimaa HUS hospital district.
There are 273 ICU beds in Finland, meaning around 100 of them are currently free.
According to data from the National Intensive Care Coordination Office the last week of March saw a slight decrease in ICU patients with coronavirus, although it remains to be seen if the downward trend will continue.
Social and healthcare workers will be among the first to be vaccinated.
Finland will begin coronavirus vaccinations at the beginning of next year. According to a recent study, every fifth Finn would opt to not get the vaccine.
Image: Henrietta Hassinen / Yle
Hospitals are strongly recommending their staff get the Covid-19 vaccination when it s offered, but they have no power to compel staff to do so.
Health authorities say that the first people to be vaccinated will be social and healthcare professionals, who are at an increased risk of infection due to their work.
Yle asked chief physicians from university hospitals whether employers would pressure nurses and doctors who work in close contact with coronavirus patients to be vaccinated. The general consensus was that employers will strongly encourage staff to get vaccinated and the hope is that everyone will opt to take the jab.