Vaccination of all Finns to Covid-19 may take until the end of the year, according to health officials who spoke during a press conference on Tuesday.
Officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) told reporters that Finland has so far vaccinated 6,000–7,000 people in a program that began on 27 December.
Finland expects about 5–7 million vaccine doses by the summer, which would be enough to vaccinate about 2.5–3.5 million people.
"Vaccination of the entire population may take until the end of the year," said Mia Kontio From THL.
Responsible municipalities
Officials said Tuesday that the introduction of the vaccine is in the hands of local government.
"It is not about political decision-making, it is about medicine and logistics," said Tuija Kumpulainen from the Ministry. "This is the job of healthcare professionals and municipalities."
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently the only approved vaccine in the EU, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) plans to make a decision on Moderna on Wednesday.
Storage requirements for a Pfizer shot are cumbersome, and vials are only stored for five days in regular refrigerators.
Kontio said this meant staff made sure they had enough people waiting for vaccination when they received the consignment.
During January, Finland will receive about 200,000 doses or about 50,000 doses per week. At this rate, vaccines will be given to elderly people outside the nursing home no earlier than February.
The first line is medical staff caring for Covid patients, and nursing home staff and residents. These categories include about 150,000 people.
Next come the over-70s, who number about 800,000.
Vaccination points on the way
Several vaccination points are opening this week, and vaccinations in nursing homes have already begun.
However, in order to get the vaccine in arms, some challenges must be overcome.
"For example, clients of care services must apply for a vaccination permit from their relatives," said Leena Turpeinen The city of Helsinki.
Last year, there was talk of large deliveries of Pfizer vaccine, Kontio noted that production delays have slowed deliveries and that the company’s production of EU orders may not increase until the end of the year.
If the Moderna vaccine is approved on a Wednesday, that shot will be available in small quantities.
However, the approval process for AstraZeneca in Europe has stalled and a timetable for its approval has not yet been announced. It may be delayed until February.
Source: The Nordic Page