The Lapland health authorities held a pop-up vaccination event in the city of Rovaniemi over the weekend, featuring two prominent local celebrities. Lord and Santa Claus.
Lordi, who won Finland’s first and so far only Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, received his second vaccine at Sunday’s event, while Santa – due to his mature age – had already received both doses.
"They put a big needle in my arm, and that’s why I came here. This was my second dose of vaccine," Lordi said.
The heavy metal singer told Yle that she no longer remembers how many times the band’s tours have had to be postponed due to a coronavirus pandemic. Lord, whose real name is Tomi Petteri Putaansuu, said he lived in Rovaniemi and used the extra time.
"There are also good points to all of this. It has allowed us to be creative. We have recorded seven albums [during the epidemic]," Putaansuu said.
Putaansuu and Santa’s participation in the event wanted to encourage more people to get vaccinated, especially the younger age groups.
According to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), vaccination coverage in Rovaniemi is about ten percent of the national average. The main factor behind the remaining coverage has been the difficulty in reserving a vaccination site.
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Markku BroasThe Chief Infectious Diseases Physician of the Lapland Hospital District (LSHP) told Yle that the incident was a success and more than a hundred people waited outside in line to get their first blow before opening the doors.
"This event was very well received. A good number of vaccines were given over the weekend, and young people in particular were vaccinated. That’s a really good thing," Broas said.
The LSHP document welcomes free quick tests
Coronavirus infections have increased in recent weeks, especially in younger age groups who have attended music festivals and other events.
Broas therefore said he would recommend that festival-goers use state-funded rapid tests that are already available to all residents of the Lapland Hospital District, even if they have no symptoms.
He noted that the tests are not only fast – results are obtained in half an hour – but also inexpensive.
"The antigen test (rapid test) is very cheap. The test strip costs about ten euros and the results are fast. This expands testing capacity almost indefinitely," Broas said, adding that in terms of testing, Lapland could set an example for another country.
Most of Finland’s national healthcare providers have opted for more expensive PCR testing, which significantly limits the number of tests to be performed and also the appointment threshold. The alternative is usually to book the test from a private health care provider, which can cost up to a hundred euros.
"This is a tool to combat the epidemic, so it should be free of charge, just like the test given when you come to Finland from abroad. It would also be possible to introduce free rapid testing rapidly throughout the country as long as there is a willingness to do so," Broas said.
He added that the cost of introducing a free rapid test is low compared to the cost of spreading infections, especially given that one in ten people infected can suffer from a long-term coronavirus.
Source: The Nordic Page