Free influenza vaccination for risk groups begins

Many municipalities have started vaccinating those in risk groups against influenza from Monday, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

A free influenza vaccine is available to anyone predisposed to severe influenza, such as people more than 65 years, children from six months to six years, pregnant women, those belonging to risk groups because of their illness or treatment.

The influenza vaccine will also be given free of charge to men starting military service and women starting their voluntary military service, those residing or staying in institutional conditions on a long-term basis, social and health care workers and pharmaceutical care workers participating in the immediate care or maintenance of patients or clients.

“In practice, a person close to the related party must live in the same apartment or engage in weekly face-to-face communication with a person with severe immune deficiency or other serious illness, a person with a basic illness and a poor condition aged 65 or over, a pregnant person, a child under 6 months, or a person predisposed to severe influenza who cannot be vaccinated,” said Anna Scherleitner, Medical Specialist at THL.

An influenza vaccine can also be administered simultaneously with another vaccine, such as a coronavirus vaccine.

Last year, influenza vaccines were taken more enthusiastically than in previous years, and in some places, they even ran out. This autumn, more vaccines have been ordered in Finland than last year.

Two million vaccine doses to be injected have been acquired for the national vaccination programme, which is 300,000 more than in the previous season. In addition, 116,000 doses of children's nasal spray vaccines have been ordered.

There will also be clearly more influenza vaccines outside the national vaccination programme coming to Finland than last year, apparently over 600,000 doses.

People entitled to a free influenza vaccination can obtain it from their own health centre, child health clinic, or maternity clinic.

Municipalities will provide information on how influenza vaccinations will be arranged, and when and where vaccinations can be taken.

People outside the scope of free vaccination can get a prescription from their physician, buy the vaccine in a pharmacy, and visit a health centre, for example, to have it administered to them.

The vaccine will also be available from private medical centres. Some employers offer the vaccination to their employees, in which case it will be administered by the occupational health services.