Notice of upcoming THL recommendation: fourth coronavirus vaccines to be offered to more people in late summer
THL plans to recommend the extension of fourth doses of the coronavirus vaccine in the late summer. This is an advance announcement, and a more detailed final recommendation will be ready in early August at the latest. The advance notice enables municipalities to prepare for administering the vaccinations.
According to the current preliminary THL plan, boosters for those who have been vaccinated three times would be made available in the following order:
- from 15 August to all aged 65 and above
- from 1 September to all aged 60 and above
- from 1 September to all those between the ages of 12 and 59 who are in one of the risk groups for severe coronavirus disease.
The recommendation will be based on an up-to-date medical and epidemiological assessment.
“The coronavirus epidemic is very likely to accelerate in the autumn. In addition, the protection of those in older age groups and in risk groups is starting to wane gradually. In light of current information, expanding vaccinations in the late summer is justified”, says THL chief physician Hanna Nohynek.
“For younger people severe coronavirus disease is rare and for them, the protection offered by a third vaccine against a severe disease remains very good. The criteria for vaccinating all healthy persons over the age of 60 for a fourth time have not yet been met”, Nohynek adds.
The recommendation that THL expects to issue would be in line with policy in Denmark and Norway, for example. In those countries the coronavirus epidemic has moved ahead in a manner similar to that in Finland.
Many have not yet had three vaccinations
Coronavirus vaccines are the best way to avoid severe coronavirus disease. THL continues to recommend that those aged 18 and above who have received fewer than three doses should take all of their age-appropriate vaccinations. For example, only 46 percent of those aged 18-46 have had a third vaccination.
THL is constantly monitoring the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccination programme. Gauges for effectiveness include the number of severe cases of the illness and the prevalence of deaths linked with the coronavirus.
THL also evaluates if the health benefits derived from the vaccinations for the population are so great as to justify the outlay of resources required by the vaccinations.
“If there are medical and epidemiological foundations for concluding that booster vaccinations can bring significant health benefits for some population groups, we will update our recommendations accordingly”, Nohynek says.
At present, a fourth vaccine dose is recommended for:
- those aged 12 and above whose immune defences have been significantly weakened
- those aged 80 and above
- elderly residents in care homes
- seniors who receive organised home care or informal care, and other seniors whose health and ability to function have declined correspondingly and who cannot cope alone at home
- those aged 70-79 who are part of a risk group for severe coronavirus disease.
Boosters are constantly offered to the aforementioned groups. For example, about 65 percent of those aged 80 and above have taken their fourth doses.
The coronavirus vaccines given for the fourth doses in the late summer will be the same as those that are currently in use in Finland. They offer good protection against severe cases of the disease. Vaccines tailored against coronavirus variants are expected to become available later in the autumn.
Further information:
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19: how, why and when?
Risk groups for severe coronavirus disease
Hanna Nohynek
Chief Physician
THL
tel. +358 29 524 8246
Mia Kontio (arranging vaccinations)
Chief Specialist
THL
tel. +358 29 524 8365
[email protected]
