Health workers need not late autumn coronavirus booster: THL

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) does not currently recommend a late autumn coronavirus booster vaccine for health and social services professionals who have no chronic illnesses, said an officials press release.

The matter has been widely publicised, but THL is not currently making any change to its recommendation issued at the end of September.

"We are continuously monitoring the coronavirus situation and new research data on the vaccines. If there are medical and epidemiological grounds for doing so, we will change our vaccination recommendations, but there are no such grounds at the moment. The wish or desire to receive a booster vaccine is not sufficient grounds for issuing a recommendation,” said Hanna Nohynek, Chief Physician at THL.

"At the moment, there is not enough research data that would support recommending a late autumn booster vaccine to health and social services professionals. The original coronavirus vaccines, for example, give neither effective nor long-term protection against coronavirus infections, infectiousness or mild forms of the disease, and we do not yet know enough about the vaccines for new variants,” Nohynek added.

The recommendations on coronavirus vaccines are based on the assessments of the National Advisory Committee on Vaccines and the THL.

The risk of contracting severe coronavirus disease caused by the currently circulating Omicron variants is very low for adults at working age with no chronic illnesses.

If a health and social services professional belongs to the target group for booster doses in autumn 2022 due to their age or a chronic illness, a booster vaccine is recommended for them in the same way as for others in the same target group.

"People aged 18–59 with no chronic illnesses who work in health care, just like people working in other professions, are not in need of additional protection. Health and social services professionals are well protected from serious coronavirus disease,” said THL Chief Physician Tuija Leino.

Protection against infections and infectiousness obtained by health and social services professionals could, at best, also indirectly protect patients and residents at institutions providing long-term care.

There is not enough research data yet on whether the variant-focused vaccines introduced in the autumn offer better and longer protection against infections and infectiousness than the original coronavirus vaccines.

"If vaccines are to be used for indirect protection, i.e. to protect patients by vaccinating health and social services professionals, they should be so effective that it would make sense for healthy adults to take them. If the impact is uncertain, it is not sufficient to justify recommending a booster vaccine,” said Leino.