Finland donates 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nicaragua

Finland donated around 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the people of Nicaragua, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release on Friday.

The donated doses reached to the destination in early July.

Finland is committed to international vaccine solidarity and places particular emphasis on the right of the most vulnerable people to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Finland began donating vaccine doses to low and middle-income countries in autumn 2021 through participation of its Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the COVAX Advance Market Commitment mechanism, which promotes equal access to vaccines globally.

Finland has investigated potential donation targets, working with the European Commission and other Nordic and EU countries.

Finland has large enough stockpiles of vaccines even if the fourth vaccine doses are administered to a larger target group than at present.

Finland received COVID-19 vaccines through the EU’s joint procurement scheme in excess of its national needs, because at the start of the pandemic it was impossible to know which vaccine development projects would be successful and which vaccines would be granted marketing authorisation.

The procurement volumes were large also because Finland wanted to get vaccines as fast as possible.