Helsinki, Oct 22 (IANS): The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has reported an increase in the presence of Covid-19 in its wastewater sampling.

The country's current Covid-19 situation is about as bleak as it was at the beginning of 2022, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the THL's monitoring report.

THL leading expert Tarja Pitkanen told national broadcaster Yle that the country is currently on the crest of a wave caused by the Omicron variant of the virus.

Omicron was first detected in Finland in early 2022. The number of confirmed cases was relatively low in August, but the trend appears to be reversed now, she said.

The coming weeks will show whether the levels of Covid-19 detected in wastewater will exceed those recorded at the beginning of this year, she said.

She added that the Omicron subvariant BA.5 has become the dominant strain of the virus in Finland, with subvariants BA.2 and BA.4 also detected in certain parts of the country.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) regional data showed that Europe recorded a rise in Covid-19 cases in the first week of October.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned that the coronavirus pandemic is not over yet, although the overall situation is better than it was last autumn.