Coronavirus If the invitation is accepted, Helena Rossi, a pensioner, will go to the vaccination companies “just to the point” – HS asked what kind of help is available for third vaccinations

Family- and the Minister of Basic Services Krista Kiuru (sd) would like to draw more staff from many different groups for vaccination.

Kiuru listed Yle’s A-studio on Tuesdaythat retirees, social and health students, voluntary organizations and the Defense Forces could help with vaccination.

In addition, according to Kiuru, the role of occupational health care in vaccinations must be increased.

Kiuru said that he is concerned that the effectiveness of the two vaccines in a large part of the population is beginning to wane, and that municipalities have so many tasks in health care that there is a shortage of vaccinators in Finland. They are barely enough for current vaccinations, and the current number of vaccinators will not be able to tighten the rate of third doses.

Espoo resident Helena Rossi says he thinks immediately after seeing the interview with Kiuru, he is ready to join the team if the retirees are invited.

In 2016, Rossi retired from her duties as a nurse at Meilahti Hospital, but continued to perform gig-like shifts for a few more years. However, after the start of the corona epidemic, gig work remained.

“Because of Korona, I stopped touring, not really because of work. I loved that job, ”Rossi says.

Already during the epidemic, Rossi would have been willing to go back to work when asked. Many other former nurses think the same.

“And just to what point. While testing or taking samples. Anything if someone had asked or trained or asked. There would be departures, ”Rossi says.

How could the groups mentioned by Kiuru help with vaccinations? HS asked experts and interest groups.

Social and health care chairman of the trade union Tehyn Millariikka Rytkönen says he is on exactly the same lines as Kiuru about accelerating the pace of vaccination.

“I was a fan at home. Krista Kiuru put a really hard gear in her eye, I like it, ”says Rytkönen.

From Tehy’s point of view, the best of the means presented by Kiuru seems to be the introduction of occupational health, because there is already a qualified workforce there. Inviting retired employees also sounds like a good idea for Rytkönen.

“If there’s a freshly retired caregiver, that’s where the know-how is. An excellent idea and will definitely be harnessed quickly. ”

For seniors however, inclusion in vaccination campaigns is not a new idea. Some municipalities have been doing this for a long time.

Superintendent of the city of Kuopio Päivi Eskelinen Due to labor shortages, retired nurses have been involved in giving coronary vaccinations in practice since the beginning.

“When the first vaccinations started, we put a message to the recently retired caregivers and asked for volunteer vaccinators,” says Eskelinen.

The volunteers were given the required additional training, after which the city of Kuopio’s corona vaccinations were largely handled by retired employees.

Responsibility the municipalities are responsible for organizing vaccination. They may choose to transfer some of the vaccines for distribution through occupational health care.

Kela reimburses employers for the costs of vaccinations of approximately ten euros per vaccination. The rest of the costs remain to be paid to the employer.

“Occupational health care brings additional resources and clear savings in resources, as the state fully reimburses coroner vaccination to municipalities,” says an expert from the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). Auli Rytivaara.

It is therefore primarily up to the municipalities, as only after their approval can workplaces opt for coronary vaccination as part of their occupational health care.

The EC would like the Government to oblige all municipalities to explore the possibility of including occupational health care in vaccinations.

Open is that the distribution of vaccines to occupational health care may not be straightforward.

The logistics and storage of vaccines are accurate, as they require an unbroken cold chain. Corona vaccinations would also require quite a lot of practical arrangements, but on the other hand, large occupational health actors in particular have a lot of experience in this.

However, difficulties can also come from companies. According to EK’s Rytivaara, for example, in the logistics sector, there may be companies with employees from 60 different municipalities.

“The company should agree with all 60 municipalities that vaccinations can be given in occupational health care,” says Rytivaara.

The, occupational health has not been involved in the administration of coronary vaccinations, was initially justified by the fact that so few vaccines came to Finland that no more vaccinators were needed.

There is no longer a shortage of vaccines, although they are not enough to be given three months apart.

“If we have a situation where there are enough vaccines, it is important to have them given in a timely manner according to the latest information. And then, of course, everyone has to be involved in vaccination, ”says the head of the social and health unit Sari Raassina The Association of Finnish Municipalities.

“This can be arranged if you want to.”

EC: n Rytivaara asks if there are any ideological views between private and public service providers.

However, this has not been observed, at least in the Association of Finnish Municipalities.

“I haven’t come across any principled opposition anywhere. I do not think there has been any such question. It’s just a matter of different ways to get vaccinated, ”says Raassina.

Raassina is also the Coalition’s city councilor in Kuopio.

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“If we have enough vaccines, it is important to get them given in a timely manner, according to the latest information.”

Lark also mentioned social and health care students as potential vaccinators. In addition, he said, community caregivers could be involved “by offering them a few hours of update on vaccination”.

Chairman of the Finnish Association of Local and Basic Nurses Super Silja Paavola considers the measures proposed by Kiuru to be feasible.

According to him, caregivers would not have to give vaccines in a situation where they would be solely responsible for the person being vaccinated and therefore it would be possible to take care of vaccine safety.

“Vaccines will always wait for a while at the vaccination site and if there is, for example, anaphylactic shock [äkillinen yliherkkyysreaktio] so there would be other professionals to help as well, ”says Paavola.

“And if you think about whether a nurse’s degree is good enough to be vaccinated, then yes it is,” he continues.

Association of Finnish Municipalities Raassina believes that undergraduate students in medicine and dentistry who have already received training in injecting could be invited to help during the Christmas holidays.

“These are terribly work-motivated people and they’re thirsty to get to do something useful,” Raassina says.

The government amended the covid-19 vaccination ordinance in April, which expanded the number of vaccinators.

With the setting, vaccination can also be given by a dentist. In addition, coronation vaccination can be given under the direction and supervision of a professional by a person studying to be a healthcare professional, ie a doctor, dentist, nurse, nurse or midwife.

However, it is a prerequisite that he or she has received appropriate vaccination training. In practice, appropriate training means completing a two-credit course and obtaining a medication license in accordance with Valvira’s instructions.

Previously, vaccination could only be given by a doctor or a nurse, nurse or midwife who had received vaccination training.

I do Rytkö is also thinking about bringing sote students from polytechnics to vaccination. The required training may not be provided quickly enough, and even after completing it, the student can only be vaccinated under the guidance and supervision of a professional.

Rytkö is also thinking about bringing in nurses to the vaccination team. It would require not only an amendment to the regulation but also additional training for more than one credit. Even then, vaccination may only be possible in a controlled manner.

“When a bachelor’s degree requires such extensive additional training on top of the degree that you can get vaccinated, then I would throw up the question of how quick training would get qualified vaccinators who have completed a vocational degree … we have every reason to have a vaccination ordinance,” says Rytkönen.

Helena Rossi hopes that if retired nurses are actually asked to be vaccinated, the road to the actual work should be well paved.

“The permits have to be in order, not just to get there,‘ here I just come, ’” Rossi says.

“If asked in person, then I am ready, willing and eager. I wonder how our retirees will be contacted, who will take over and how this will be organized quickly enough, ”Rossi ponders.

By pharmacies would also like vaccinations. However, it is not known that this is being promoted. Kiuru also did not talk about it on Tuesday.

“It’s a shame he’s forgotten about that list of pharmacies. We have provided our pairs of hands for it and we hope that the Minister will take it, ”says the chief pharmaceutical officer. Charlotta Sandler The Association of Pharmacists.

Sandler points out that pharmacies have been included in many European countries, most recently in Denmark and Norway.

In practice, pharmacists and pharmacists should be allowed by the regulation to provide vaccinations, injection training and training on the safety of the vaccination situation. In addition, consideration should be given, for example, to how the data would be included in the Kanta system.

Defense Forces has not yet received a request for official assistance, but its possible support for health care has been tentatively considered and clarified. For example, the use of medical practitioners would require that they be given additional training. There are also data protection and legal issues involved.

Conscripts are already receiving corona vaccines and the Defense Forces would also like to vaccinate their hired staff to lighten the burden on municipalities.