HELSINKI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 vaccinations will become available for children aged between five and 11 in Finland from Thursday.
The new rules come after the government amended its decree on COVID-19 vaccination on Wednesday, said the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
In the past, the vaccine was only offered to children aged five to 11 who were at risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
According to THL, a total of 29 children aged 5-11 in Finland had been hospitalized with COVID-19 by Dec. 12. On Wednesday, THL recommended a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for those aged over 12 who have a severely impaired immune system. The booster dose can be given 3 to 4 months after the third dose.
Also on Wednesday, the Finnish government expanded the group of medical professionals allowed to administer vaccinations. As well as nurses and medical doctors, laboratory nurses and basic care nurses will now also be allowed to vaccinate if they have the appropriate training.
A lack of personnel had previously been given as a reason for the relatively slow progress of vaccination in Finland.
The government announced that from Thursday COVID-19 certificates issued by countries outside the European Union will be accepted in Finland as COVID-19 passes. The change allows the operators that accept the COVID-19 certificates to check the non-EU certificates manually without using the checking gear for automatic scanning. Enditem
