Image: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva

The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) said on Friday evening that a second patient this week had tested positive for novel coronavirus. The patient is said to be a working-age Finnish woman.

The patient returned home after samples were taken for testing. She has been advised to remain in isolation at home.

HUS infectious diseases specialists are working with the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and municipal infectious diseases units to determine if others may have been exposed to infection. Officials said they will contact such persons individually.

The infection was said to have originated in northern Italy and that the woman had returned from the region one day ago. She reportedly did not expose others to infection on her return journey but only began to exhibit symptoms later on returning to Finland.

Earlier this week HUS confirmed that another working age Finn was diagnosed with the disease after returning to Finland from northern Italy.