COVID-19 disease in Finland
The Finnish Government has approved an amendment to the Government Decree on Communicable Diseases by which COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus will no longer be classified as a generally hazardous communicable disease. In future, COVID-19 will be defined as a monitored communicable disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Vaccinations are the most effective way to protect against a serious form of COVID-19. Vaccinations in accordance with the recommendations will also be important in the future. Monitoring the occurrence of variants and the morbidity caused by COVID-19 will continue, and measures to prevent infections can be stepped up if the disease burden increases.
Finnish institute for health and welfare provides situation update on coronavirus in Finland.
Responsibilities of the authorities
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the general planning, guidance and monitoring of the prevention of infectious diseases. Prevention of infectious diseases is part of healthcare and social welfare services.
Responsibilities of the authorities are described here:
COVID-19 vaccines
Vaccination reduces severe illness from COVID-19. Booster shots are recommended particularly for older people and those who belong to risk groups because of a health condition. The wellbeing services counties are responsible for organising COVID-19 vaccinations and providing information on how and when residents can receive their vaccines. More information on the priority groups of vaccinations, the vaccines used and the progress of vaccinations is available on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL):
- Vaccines and COVID-19 (in Finnish and Swedish)
- Covid vaccination coverage by season and week
- Covid vaccination coverage on a map
- Quality reporting on vaccinations: Vaccinations recorded in the Finnish Vaccination Register by service provider
Finland has procured all its COVID-19 vaccines through the EU joint procurement. The joint procurement means that the European Commission negotiates an agreement with a pharmaceutical company and procures vaccines for all EU Member States participating in the procurement.
In Finland, the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea) monitors and collects information on adverse reactions to all medicines and vaccines in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Healthcare professionals and citizens can report any suspected adverse reactions to Fimea. More information on adverse reactions and how to report them is available on the Fimea website.
COVID-19 vaccination strategy
The COVID-19 vaccination strategy was last updated on 22 June 2022.
- Government resolution of 25 November 2021 on updating Finland’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy
- Finland’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy updated on 22 June 2022
