Municipalities around Finland have begun to plan the introduction of a mass vaccination strategy, and large congress centers in large cities are the focus.
The Turku authorities are preparing to start the city’s extensive vaccination program in February, which will be centered around the Turku Exhibition Center.
A similar strategy was used last year to give flu vaccines.
"In this case, space is really important," Infectious Diseases Physician of the City of Turku Jutta Peltoniemi told Yle. "The space must be large enough to allow effective vaccination and to take into account the safety distances associated with the coronavirus. There should also be a follow-up waiting room after vaccination."
Peltoniemi added that it is possible to have up to 20 separate vaccination lines at the Exhibition Center, which means that possibly thousands of people can be vaccinated per day.
"In Turku, up to 10,000 vaccines could be given a week, and then we can move forward quickly. But that is a much larger amount than what is currently being delivered," Peltoniemi said.
Delivery problems can hamper plans
Peltoniemi said that the approval of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is a prerequisite for the introduction of a mass vaccination program.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is currently reviewing the marketing authorization for this vaccine with a decision expected at the end of January.
However, another practical concern is that there is very little accurate information on the availability of vaccines.
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"For example, if it is known that 5,000 vaccines are available per week, 5,000 appointment times may be offered. If this is not known, then how can we dare to offer appointments? The amount is really important," Peltonniemi said clarity in THL’s vaccination strategy is also essential.
"What are the national marketing authorization conditions for who can be vaccinated with AstraZeneca? The information needs to be clarified so that we can inform the public," he said.
THL: The timings are hard to estimate
Expert of the Department of Health and Welfare (THL) Mia Kontio told Yle that the timing of the mass vaccination program is difficult to estimate, the earliest most likely date is April.
"We are completely dependent on the information provided by vaccine manufacturers. Pfizer and Biontech will provide the information four weeks in advance, and we will forward the information immediately to hospital districts," Kontio explained.
By information The coronavirus vaccine offered by THL is first offered in Finland to social and health care personnel treating coronavirus patients, as well as to employees and residents in housing and nursing homes. Next up among vaccinations are those over 70 years of age.
The third group includes people who are considered to be at high risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease due to the underlying health conditions. After these Priority Groups have been harmed, the vaccine will be delivered to the rest of the population.
You can listen to the latest All Points North vaccination from Finland’s vaccination strategy via the embedded player here or through Yle Areena, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or a regular podcast player using an RSS feed.
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Kontio says that once the AstraZeneca vaccine receives the required marketing authorization, hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine can be delivered to Finland within a few weeks of approval.
"It allows for more extensive vaccinations. However, it must be remembered that first-line vaccinations include healthcare professionals and those over 70 years of age. There are one million of them alone, so two million doses of vaccine are needed before the following groups can be vaccinated," Kontio said.
The THL expert added that with regard to AstraZeneca, it is not possible to know in advance whether the vaccine is suitable for everyone over the age of 16 or 18 or whether there is an age limit based on the results of the efficacy studies.
"Firstly, we want to protect the elderly. Although hundreds of thousands of doses of AstraZeneca are immediately available, it will go into vaccinations for the elderly if it suits them," Kontio said.
In Finland, municipalities are responsible for administering vaccines in their own area in co-operation with hospital and special care districts, as well as the private sector, if the municipality decides to do so.
"The implementation of vaccinations is the responsibility of the municipalities. They decide whether they will be able to handle all the vaccinations themselves or whether they will be involved in private companies. The private sector is now involved in vaccinations, which means that we are working together all the time," Kontio said.
Source: The Nordic Page