According to Mia Kontio, a leading expert at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, there is no shortage of vaccines, but they are not enough to be given every three months.
13.12. 19:23
Would be In Finland, from the point of view of the adequacy of vaccines and the personnel administering them, is it possible to shorten the administration interval of the booster dose of coronary vaccinations to three months?
The European Medicines Agency (EMMA) recently announced that states may consider a three-month vaccination interval, although the official recommendation of the EMA is six months between the second and third dose.
In Finland, the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) recommends a third dose for, among others, severely immunocompromised people over 12 years of age, vaccinated less than six weeks old, those over 60 years of age and those at medical risk.
In addition, THL said at the beginning of December recommend that third doses be offered to anyone over 18 years of age, as long as 5-6 months have elapsed since the second dose.
Senior physician To Hanna Nohy However, THL commented on Sunday that a three-month vaccination interval is possible if it wants to increase protection against omicron-borne transmission infections.
“Here we have to look at what is logistically possible: where the doses and the workforce of vaccine providers are sufficient,” Nohynek commented.
Read more: Omikron appears to reduce the effectiveness of two doses of the vaccine against mild illness to only 20% – Nohynek: Shortening the vaccination interval is being considered
In Finland there are approximately 1.8 million doses of vaccine, and more are added each week. THL’s leading expert Mia Kontion there is no shortage of vaccines, but they are not enough to be given three months apart.
There are about three million people in Finland who have had a second corona spike at least three months ago.
“I emphasize that there is no reason to get a third dose for people under the age of 60,” says Kontio.
“Right now, the most important thing is to protect people over 60 and those at risk with booster doses.”
In the metropolitan area booster doses have been focused on those over 60 years of age and those at risk, says the director of diagnostics at the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (Hus) Lasse Lehtonen.
“Booster vaccination of younger people has not yet been achieved everywhere, although there is already a need, especially if a third dose is needed to provide adequate protection against micron transformation,” says Lehtonen.
Vaccination progress is hampered by a shortage of staff. According to Lehtonen, all possible pairs of hands are already in use. He does not believe that shortening the dosing interval to three months would be possible.
“I have heard a message from Uusimaa that the staff does not want to be enough for the current pace of vaccination,” says Lehtonen.
“Private resources are already being used quite a lot for testing, tracking and vaccination. There are no more people. ”
As this is partly the same human resource, for example, increased sampling will weaken vaccination.
Lehtonen commented in an interview with HS on saturday, adding corona tests is not the right thing to do now.
Lehtonen reminds that in addition to corona activities, the aim is to keep other health care in normal operation. According to him, the best way to alleviate the burden is to control the epidemic by increasing vaccination coverage. By this he means the first and second doses of coronary vaccine.
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“The next option, then, is to have to compromise on health center operations or something else.”
Also In the hospital district of Southern Ostrobothnia, people are on the verge of extreme limits and staff shortages are obvious, says the infection chief physician. Elina Kärnä.
“I think every possible pair of hands has already been removed for vaccination,” says Kärnä.
For example, already retired professionals have been recruited to vaccinate.
The hospital district is defined as the area of spread. According to Kärna, the incidence is high and hospital care is strained.
If the dose interval were reduced to three months, there would not be enough staff.
“Certainly there is an attempt to shift all other activities to vaccination activities, such as testing and tracing. The next option is to compromise on health center operations or something else. ”
Although the vaccination coverage for the second dose is not the best in Finland in Southern Ostrobothnia, the third doses have been well sought. On Monday in Seinäjoki, for example, 15.5 per cent of local residents had applied for the third dose. Dose intervals range from five to six months.
“Seinäjoki has had a vaccination rush at walk-in events,” says Kärnä.
Third The administration of coronary vaccine doses in Finland has progressed well, THL’s Mia Kontio estimates.
In Finland, 10.7 per cent of those aged 12 and over had given the third dose of the vaccine by Monday. However, instead of covering the entire population, Kontio calls for looking at groups that are currently eligible for the third dose.
“There are about 1.1 million people in Finland who have received a second dose in five months or more. About a third of them have received a third dose so far. ”
Read more: Finland was said to be the bottom line in administering third doses of vaccine in Europe, but international comparisons show otherwise
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