Finland needs to urgently introduce measures aimed at restricting social contacts and stemming the spread of coronavirus cases, according to a team of specialists on the nation's Intensive Care Coordination Group.

The specialists include Matti Reinikainen, a Professor of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Associate Professor Stepani Bendel of Kuopio University Hospital and Intensive Care Professor Ville Pettilä. All three called on the government to introduce "drastic" measures to tackle the spread of Covid cases and the Omicron variant.

The group said procrastination can cost lives.

As of Monday afternoon, there are a total of 63 Covid patients being treated in intensive care units around the country. This means that one third of the patients currently receiving ICU care in Finland are being treated for Covid.

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This figure is expected to climb even higher as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

Last week, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) reported that Omicron had become the dominant coronavirus variant in the capital region.

Professor Reinikainen told Yle that from the perspective of ICU capacity, the situation in Finland has never been as worrying throughout the entire pandemic as it is now.

The latest episode of Yle News' All Points North podcast looked into the potential impact of the Omicron variant. You can listen to the episode from the player below.

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In April 2020, the number of intensive care patients peaked at 83, but at that time severe restrictions were in place and all non-urgent surgeries had been reduced to a minimum, Reinikainen added.

In South Africa, the Omicron variant has been observed to infect young, socially-active people before spreading to older generations. This in turn leads to an increased demand on ICU facilities.

Reinikainen added that if the current spike in cases is not curbed, ICU capacity in Finland will come under serious pressure.

That said, the trio are calling on the government to introduce strict measures aimed at tackling the spread of infections.

The government is set to meet on Tuesday to decide if Finland should pull its so-called Covid emergency brake, effectively reintroducing various epidemic-related restrictions.