AstraZeneca vaccine arrives in Finland

The first consignment of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine arrived in Finland on Sunday, reported the media quoting the Finnish institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

A total of 24,000 doses of the vaccine arrived on Sunday and the country is expecting 200,000 more doses in February, reported the national broadcaster Yle, quoting THL Specialist Mia Kontio as saying.

Two other vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have already arrived in the country in December and January respectively and more than 170,000 people have received the vaccines so far.

Meanwhile, an English language newspaper, The Financial Times on Saturday said quoting a study report that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab fails to prevent mild and moderate COVID-19 infused by South African strain of the virus.

Earlier, on 4 February, the National Vaccine Expert Group (KRAR) appointed by the THL recommended that the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine should be restricted to people aged below 70.

People more than 70 years old will be administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine while the AstraZeneca vaccine will be used for immunising first the risk groups aged below 70 and healthcare professionals and then the other age groups, said THL Chief Physician Hanna Nohynek at a press conference on Wednesday.

“The two vaccines are almost equally efficient against the serious form of COVID-19,” the THL chief physician emphasised.