FINLAND RAMPS UP COVID-19 TESTING AMONG KIDS

An increasing number of children and young people are taking coronavirus tests, according to the latest testing figures provided by Finland's largest laboratory company, Fimlab, the Finnish news agency Ylereported on August 13, 2020. 

The company’s Service Director Anu Mustila told Yle that there has been a noticeable shift in the age of people presenting for coronavirus testing. "Adults and the elderly were mostly being tested in the spring. Now a lot of people under the age of 10 and also under the age of 20 are being tested. Their share has risen significantly," Mustila said. 

Fimlab tests and analyses samples for public health care needs in the Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, Kanta-Häme, Ostrobothnia and Päijät-Häme regions. 

Over the past week, one in four tests at Fimlab testing points have been carried out on children under the age of 10, while one in three have been on people aged under 20. No coronavirus infections were found in children or young adults in any of the recent tests analysed by Fimlab, leading Mustila to question if older people should be given priority for tests, especially when backlogs are beginning to form.