By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) report differences in the coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations in Finland both regionally and according to the age, sex and language.

Image by Wilfried Pohnke from Pixabay

In eastern Finland, vaccination coverage is higher than in western Finland. Across the country, there are also differences between hospital districts and within municipalities within hospital districts.

The differences are partly explained by the demographic structure of municipalities and regions, as older age groups have received vaccines earlier than others and have also taken them more enthusiastically.

“Also, the long distance from the downtown district of the hospital district may contribute to the fact that fewer vaccines have been taken. There are more vaccination points in the central cities, and they have been better reached by public transport, ”says Mia Kontio, a leading expert at THL.

Those most enthusiastic about COVID-19 vaccines are those over 50 years of age. They already have more than 90% vaccination coverage for the first dose.

Women have taken slightly more vaccines than men. The largest differences between the sexes are in the age group of 16–29 years, where the vaccination coverage of men is 6–8 percentage points lower than that of women.

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For those over 60, the gender differences are very small.

Vaccination coverage is highest among native Swedish speakers. The highest vaccination coverage is for native Swedish speakers. Of these, 82 percent have received two doses of the vaccine.

74 per cent of those who speak Finnish or Sámi have received both COVID-19 vaccines.

Healthcare workers in all occupational groups had almost the same or better vaccination coverage than all working-age people.

The main reason for non-vaccination in all age groups is concern about the safety of vaccines.

Distrust of the authorities is also emphasized in some sections of the population. Practical reasons, such as the difficulty of applying for vaccination, also affect the willingness to vaccinate.

“Because good vaccination coverage is affected by several factors, there is no single measure that could increase coverage. In addition to securing the availability of vaccines, their distribution and practical vaccination operations, it is important to continue sharing reliable and research-based information, ”says Kontio.