95% of 85+ Helsinki residents get 1st dose of corona vaccine

So far, more than 95% of Helsinki residents aged 85 and above have received their first coronavirus vaccine shot and 83% of the residents aged 80 and above have received their first jab, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Monday.

Last week, the vaccinations were expanded to cover persons aged 75-79 and above, as well as their informal carers. So far 12% of this group has been vaccinated. The process of vaccinating Helsinki residents aged 55–64 who are highly susceptible to severe COVID-19 due to an illness was also initiated.

At this time, all persons who will be turning 75 this year or are already older, as well as their informal carers regardless of age, can make a vaccination appointment online.

Helsinki residents aged between 55 and 69 who are highly susceptible to severe COVID-19 due to an illness are also scheduled for vaccination.

The process of vaccinating 70- to 74-year-olds and persons younger than 55 who are at risk due to an illness will begin in the coming weeks. The start time will be specified once the available vaccine quantities are confirmed.

Roughly 52,000 vaccines have been administered in Helsinki so far. About 43,000 of these are first doses and about 9,000 are second doses.

The vaccinations have gone according to plan and vaccines have been administered at the rate they have become available in Helsinki. At this time, some 11,000 Helsinki residents are vaccinated each week.

The supply of vaccines remains scarce. Two vaccines are currently being used. The Pfizer vaccine is administered to persons aged 70 and above. In accordance with recommendations, AstraZeneca vaccines are used for persons younger than 70. The vaccines are being administered in accordance with the national vaccination order.

The vaccinations of social services and healthcare staff, other than coronavirus workers and elderly care professionals, will begin once seniors and those at risk due to an illness have been vaccinated. At the moment, the time of starting the vaccination of this group has not been specified.

Helsinki has four vaccination points located at Jätkäsaari, Malmi, Messukeskus, and Myllypuro.

The storage and distribution of the vaccines is challenging due to cold storage, for example. For this reason, the vaccinations are organised in centralised locations.