Treatment not necessary for mild cases of coronavirus infection, tests only in exceptional cases
In the future, you should only have a coronavirus test at health care services in exceptional cases. If you have symptoms of the coronavirus disease, stay at home until you get better.
If you want, you can take an antigen test you can buy at the store or pharmacy. A positive home test result does not need to be confirmed by an official test unless you need a certificate to prove that you have recovered from the coronavirus disease. If you get a positive test result in your home test, stay at home for at least five days.
From now on, you should sign up for a coronavirus test if
- you are a social and health care worker
- you are pregnant. If you are pregnant and test positive for the coronavirus, contact your maternity clinic immediately.
- you are part of an at-risk group for severe coronavirus disease
- you need proof of having recovered from the disease for the COVID-19 passport (16-year-olds or older persons who are not fully vaccinated)
- you need a certificate of infection to claim Kela sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease (e.g. entrepreneurs)
As a rule, asymptomatic individuals who have had the coronavirus disease in the past six months are not tested.
If you have serious symptoms, you should still seek medical attention to assess the need for treatment.
If a child has mild symptoms, you can monitor them at home
If a child has clear symptoms of infection, you may not take the child to school or early childhood education and care. Mild symptoms of a viral infection in a child under 12 years of age can be monitored at home. The symptoms are mild if the child is lively and has the energy to play and do things, even if they also have a runny nose, cough, and fever. The child should avoid contact with people outside the family until the symptoms ease significantly.
Children can also have a COVID-10 antigen home test taken. If the home test is positive, it is important to stay at home for at least five days. A positive home test result should only be confirmed with an official test if the child belongs to at-risk group for severe coronavirus disease or the parent needs a certificate to claim Kela sickness allowance on account of an infectious disease. If several family members are ill at the same time, it is enough that one person in the family gets tested.
If the child has allergic rhinitis, occasional sneezing, or if their nose starts to run when they go out, but the symptoms end when the child comes back indoors, the child can go to early childhood education or school as long as their general condition is otherwise normal and there are no symptoms of an infection. Early childhood education or school may not require a certificate of a negative test result.
The isolation period is cut to five days
If you have tested positive for the coronavirus, you should always stay at home in isolation If you have a confirmed case of the coronavirus disease, stay at home until you have been without symptoms for two days and at least five days have passed since the onset of symptoms. For the time being, the Oulu Infectious Disease Authority will still contact all those who have had a positive test result. Tracing is lagging behind at the moment; you will be called in a few days after the test result is ready.
The duration of quarantine imposed by an infectious disease physician will also be reduced to five days.