What to do if you suspect having contracted the coronavirus

Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, diarrhea, muscle ache, and loss of smell and taste. 

1. People aged 12 and older

Vaccinated

Seek to get tested when you have symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection even if you have been vaccinated once or more times, if:

• You are at risk for a severe coronavirus disease because of your age, illness or medication
• You are pregnant 
• You’re at risk for thrombosis due to coronavirus (see HUS website for risk factors)
• You’re a social welfare or health care professional who works directly with clients or patients
• You work with the elderly or the disabled
• A healthcare professional has directed you to get tested

Unvaccinated

Also seek to get tested when you have symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection and you have not been vaccinated and  you have not previously had COVID-19. 

2. Children under the age of 12

If your child has symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they must avoid contact with people outside the immediate family until the symptoms have clearly improved and the child is well enough to manage regular activities.

A child under the age of 12 is eligible for COVID-19 testing if the child has even mild symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection and

• The child is at risk for a severe COVID-19 infection due to an illness or medication
• The child lives with or regularly meets family members or friends over the age of 16 who are not fully vaccinated* or who are immunocompromised,
• Or, if the child's symptoms require a test according to a doctor's opinion

(*Received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, or had COVID-19 and received one vaccine dose)

See the THL website for instructions on what to do when a child falls ill with a respiratory infection.

Booking

• Uusimaa residents can book a COVID-19 test appointment in the Coronabot service.  Helsinki residents can book a test appointment using the Omaolo web service.  
• The appointment booking service at www.koronabotti.hus.fi allows users to book a testing appointment at any sampling site regardless of municipality. 
• You can book a test for yourself and your under 16-year-old children. It is also possible to book a test on behalf of another adult if you have been authorized to do so via the Suomi.fi service. 
• You will need online banking credentials or a mobile ID to book an appointment.
• You can call your municipality's coronavirus helpline or your health center during its opening hours as instructed by your municipality.  
• A COVID-19 test done by HUS will always be free of charge for you. The test is also free of charge when the sampling site is operated by a subcontractor.
• HUS's COVID-19 sample collection sites (in Finnish)
• Watch a video on how the test is taken

COVID-19 sample collection sites (in Finnish)

Cancelling a COVID-19 test appointment

When you book a test, you will receive an SMS/e-mail containing a booking confirmation, arrival instructions and a code with which you can cancel the appointment. 

If your symptoms are mild (such as a runny nose or sore throat) and you are not eligible for a laboratory-confirmed coronavirus test (see Getting tested for COVID-19 at HUS above), you can take an at-home antigen test. Please familiarize yourself carefully with the instructions for taking an at-home test and how to interpret the result (see THL's instructions).

1. Your at-home test is positive

If your at-home test is positive, stay at home and avoid contact with others outside the home at least for five days so that you have been symptom-free for two days.

There is no need to confirm the positive at-home test result with a laboratory test, if 

• Your symptoms are mild and do not require contacting health care
• You are not at risk for a severe coronavirus infection (see Getting tested for COVID-19 at HUS above)
• When someone in your household already has a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection 
• When you do not need a certificate of having had COVID-19 for acquiring the COVID-19 passport (the COVID-19 passport will only recognize a COVID-19 infection confirmed by a health care laboratory).

2. Your at-home test is negative

If your at-home test result is negative and you have symptoms, it is best to repeat the test on several consecutive days or every 2 days. 

A negative result from an at-home test does not exclude the possibility that the virus's incubation period is still ongoing and the virus can be detected later. That is why it is important that you avoid contact with others for at at least for five days so that you have been symptom-free for two days even if the at-home test was negative. If your symptoms continue for longer than three days, avoid contact with others for 2 additional days after the symptoms have ended.

A negative result from an at-home test does not release you from isolation or quarantine ordered by an infectious disease specialist. 

• Terveyskylä health portal (in Finnish): Treating a respiratory infection at home (in Finnish)
• THL:  How to treat COVID-19 at home

Call the Medical Helpline 116 117 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home. Medical Helpline will assess your symptoms and condition and direct you to the appropriate place of care.

The Medical Helpline cannot help you with the following COVID-19 issues: booking a test, test results, certificate for sick leave, quarantine decisions, booking a vaccine, or COVID-19 passport issues.

If a person with COVID-19 shows emergency warning signs, call the emergency number 112.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in a laboratory-confirmed test, you will be informed of the test result by text message. If your municipality has ordered you into isolation, follow their instructions.

Links to municipalities’ isolation instructions in the HUS area and thrombosis risk self-assessment. 

If your at-home COVID-19 test was positive, but you are a previously healthy person with minor respiratory symptoms and your general health is good, there is generally no need seek medical attention or get a COVID-19 test in healthcare. You should avoid contact with people not living in the same household as you for at least five days so that you have been symptom-free for two days. 

Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Ask the exposed persons to avoid contact for five days from the last time you met, to wear an FFP2 or surgical face mask and follow careful hand hygiene when meeting others. An infected person can transmit the virus already two days before their symptoms begin.

If you are coming in for an appointment or treatment at HUS within 10 days of being exposed to or infected with COVID-19, contact the unit responsible for your care for more instructions. You will find the contact information in your appointment letter or on the clinic’s website. If necessary, you can also call HUS’s switchboard 09 4711 for contact information.

If you have been quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19, follow the instructions you receive from the authorities.

Links to municipalities’ quarantine instructions in the HUS area are located here. 

If you live in the same household as someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in an at-home test, or you live with or have otherwise had close contact with someone who tested positive in a laboratory-confirmed test:

• If possible, avoid contact outside the home until five days have passed since the onset of the infected person's symptoms. If several family members fall ill, the five-day period should be counted from the onset of symptoms of the last person to become ill.
• Wear an FFP2 or surgical mask when outside the home.
• Work remotely if possible. If you are completely symptom-free, you can go to work wearing a face mask and avoiding close contact.

If you are coming in for an appointment or treatment at HUS within 10 days of being exposed to or infected with COVID-19, contact the unit responsible for your care for more instructions. You will find the contact information in your appointment letter or on the clinic’s website. If necessary, you can also call HUS’s switchboard 09 4711 for contact information.

When you receive an SMS notifying you of a positive COVID_19 test result, you will also receive instructions for using the MyCovidData.fi website to report persons who you may have exposed to the virus. If you live in Helsinki, you will receive a link to an online form.

By reporting those who may have been exposed, you help speed up the work for the contact tracers. Using the service requires strong electronic identification with banking credentials or a mobile certificate. It is also possible to use the service on behalf of another person.

• If you need a certificate of a negative test result, go to My Kanta (kanta.fi) to download an EU Digital COVID Certificate of a COVID-19 test. Further information on the COVID-19 certificate here.
• The My Covid Data service also allows you to download a certificate of a COVID-19 test done by HUS. However, this certificate is not equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate. Further information: MyCovidData.fi.