Vaccination centres are struggling to deal with inconsistent attendance at coronavirus vaccination appointments, especially in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Director of Health and Substance Abuse Services at the City of Helsinki, Leena Turpeinen, told Yle that the callback queue for vaccination appointments in the capital region has stretched to thousands of people.
According to Turpeinen, the service has been flooded with hundreds of people calling each day to ask about the possibility of postponing their vaccination because of their holiday and summer plans.
Jarkko Pajarinen, deputy chief physician at the Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district (HUS), said that vaccination times should be adhered to in order to achieve protective vaccine coverage for the entire population within the planned time frame.
Pajarinen also emphasised that the postponing of first dose jabs can significantly delay the administration of second doses, further postponing full vaccine coverage.
Turpeinen added that the HUS district currently has a supply of vaccines to cover the entire month of July, but August's stock remains uncertain at this point.
In the worst case scenario, the now-cancelled vaccination appointments may need to be moved further into the autumn.
"In order for us to provide the first and second doses for people as soon as possible, we should act at such a speed that allows us to stick to the schedule," Turpeinen said, adding that it is important to avoid any congestion when booking or postponing appointments.
"Those wanting to change their vaccination time should use the online appointment system," she said.
Younger people, unvaccinated requiring hospital care
Younger and unvaccinated people are increasingly being admitted to hospital and intensive care, Pajarinen pointed out.
Fully vaccinated patients or those that have received at least one dose are significantly less likely to require hospital treatment.
The majority of patients treated for coronavirus in the HUS area are under 60 years of age, while most patients in intensive care are between 40 and 60 years old.
"This reflects the fact that vaccination coverage is already high among the older age groups," Pajarinen said.
