{"id":108,"date":"2021-01-20T07:22:20","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T07:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/zobitz\/?p=108"},"modified":"2021-01-20T07:22:56","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T07:22:56","slug":"comparing-covid-19-here-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engage.augsburg.edu\/zobitz\/2021\/01\/20\/comparing-covid-19-here-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Comparing COVID-19 here & away"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

People back in Minnesota have been asking \u201cwhat the COVID-19 situation is like\u201d.\u00a0 After a few weeks on the ground, here are some (mainly anecdotal) comparisons.\u00a0 I tried to find data\/sources where appropriate, but recognize this is an incomplete analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n  \n <\/td> Minnesota <\/strong> <\/td> Finland <\/strong><\/td>\n  \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Size\/Area\n <\/td>\n 5.6 million \/ 87,000 square miles\n <\/td>\n 5.5 million \/ 131,000 square miles\n <\/td>\n From Wikipedia\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Current new cases (as of 1\/19)\n <\/td>\n 922 LINK<\/a>\n <\/td>\n 217 LINK<\/a>\n <\/td>\n Minnesota numbers are decreasing from a second wave LINK<\/a>.  Finland numbers have been hovering around\n that point for several months.\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Total vaccinated (as of 1\/19)\n <\/td>\n 200,000 LINK<\/a>\n <\/td>\n 56,000 LINK<\/a>\n <\/td>\n Approximate values \u2013 I believe Finland has just\n administered one dose. \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Mask wearing\n <\/td>\n Statewide mask mandate\n <\/td>\n Region dependent?  In\n any case, wearing a mask in public is highly encouraged.\n <\/td>\n Finland seems to use more disposable masks more*\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Everyday life\n <\/td>\n Shops open, restaurants to half capacity\n <\/td>\n Shops and restaurants open\n <\/td>\n  \n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Schools \/ Universities\n <\/td>\n Elementary moving to in person. LINK<\/a>\n \/ Universities are mainly online.\n <\/td> In person \/ Universities are all online. <\/td>\n  \n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

*For example, we received a general message from their school that high school students in Kuopio will be required to wear a mask.  The school would provide students with disposable masks that they needed to monitor to make sure they had enough for each school day, assuming they use 2-3 per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From what we have seen there is more of an acceptance of the public\nhealth measures here \u2013 as I was told once \u201cFinns do what we are told.\u201d  As a country, I\nthink Finland buckled down early and kept numbers low<\/a>.  Overall there is concern about the new COVID variants\n\u2013 but the recommendations to the epidemic varies by region.  (Kuopio was recently classified in the accelerating\nphase<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not speaking Finnish, and getting a limited (in other words, translated<\/a>) view on Finnish news I can\u2019t speak to what public attitudes really are on the epidemic \u2013 if they are as divided as they are in Minnesota<\/a>.  Each store here has sanitizing stations as you enter, and people line up to use them. A lot of the work has moved online (or people find clever ways to network outside<\/a>).  Finns that I know are taking it seriously by rearranging meetings to online or if eating in a restaurant picking a time where it isn\u2019t as busy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nappreciate the concern in Finland that daily new cases have increased 20 fold\n(from single digits in the summer to 200-300 new cases).  It can\u2019t help but wonder how Minnesota would\ncelebrate these numbers (and we were at a scarier place in December 2020).  On the same hand, there are lessons to be\nlearned from Finland in the acceptance of what needs to be done for public\nhealth, and to channel some Finnish sisu to work together to get through this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People back in Minnesota have been asking \u201cwhat the COVID-19 situation is like\u201d.\u00a0 After a few weeks on the ground, here are some (mainly anecdotal) comparisons.\u00a0 I tried to find data\/sources where appropriate, but recognize this is an incomplete analysis.   Minnesota Finland   Size\/Area 5.6 million \/ 87,000 square miles 5.5 million \/ 131,000<\/p>\n