Demand for influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations has been exceptionally high in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
More appointments have been made for seasonal vaccinations than last year. A large number of pneumococcal vaccinations have also been taken as soon as the vaccinations have started.
The appointments for seasonal vaccinations were made available on 19 October 2023 and the vaccinations started at the beginning of November. "It’s great that people want to take the vaccine to take care of themselves and their loved ones", says Leif Lakoma, Chief Physician of the Infectious diseases unit at the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County. "The fact that by 8 November, more than 34,000 vaccination appointments had been made in the Espoo area, for example, indicates high demand. Correspondingly, during the last season including January–February, a total of some 36,000 residents were vaccinated.”
High demand has created a backlog in appointments, particularly in Espoo
The high demand for vaccines has congested appointment telephone services across the wellbeing services county. The biggest backlog is in Espoo, where the call-back delay is currently about a week. "We aim to increase the resources for the entire area so that more vaccination appointments can be made available for November and December and the people waiting for a call can be contacted as soon as possible “, says Lakoma. He reminds that the vaccination appointment should be made at your own health centre. Children under school age and pregnant women are vaccinated at the maternity and child health clinic.
Book a vaccination appointment on the web, if possible. Municipality-specific appointment booking instructions are available on the seasonal vaccinations page.
Vaccinations in nursing homes for the elderly have started
Elderly people living in nursing homes get seasonal vaccinations at their place of residence. Seasonal vaccinations in nursing homes for the elderly have started in the past week, and the vaccinations will continue during November. Persons can be vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 at the same time.
Elderly people can get advice on seasonal vaccinations from Senior Info, which is an information service for senior citizens. However, it is not possible to book a vaccination appointment via Senior Info and they do not assess the need for home vaccination.
Pneumococcal vaccines have run out
The HUS pharmacy has run out of the one-off pneumococcal vaccines administered in connection with seasonal vaccinations this year and unfortunately, they are no longer available. More pneumococcal vaccines are estimated to be available in early 2024. When these vaccines are available, people in the target group can apply for the vaccine at their own health station.
Read more about seasonal vaccinations in the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County at www.luvn.fi/en/seasonal-vaccinations