Seer ready for major challenge
20. April 2021, 9:48 AM
Seer ready for major challenge
Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik presenting Marek Seer as head of vaccination effort working group. PHOTO: Sander Ilvest
Vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic reached a new level on Monday when Marek Seer was appointed head of a nationwide vaccination organization working group. Seer, who has served on the board of the Tartu University Hospital and headed the Valga Hospital, is tasked with achieving 70 percent immunization coverage through mass vaccination campaigns as soon as possible. The government is set to decide the vaccination management structure at its sitting today.
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Record number of Covid-19 vaccines administered on Thursday
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Thousands of AstraZeneca doses are still in storage because the over 60s target group do not trust the vaccine. Many are waiting for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine instead.
ETV s current affairs show Aktuaalne kaamera (AK) reported on Wednesday that 3,000 of the 9,000 doses allocated to family doctors from the AstraZeneca delivery last week have not been used.
Additionally, 2,000 doses were left over from the mass vaccinations in Tallinn last weekend but family doctors have only requested 600.
AK spoke to family doctor Alina Terep in Jüri, Harju County who said she would not order doses as she does not have time to call elderly people and convince them the vaccine is safe.
Estonia has suspended the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under the age of 60, the head of the government s scientific advisory council Irja Lutsar said.
Speaking at a press conference, Irja Lutsar said it has been confirmed there is a possible link with a thrombsis syndrome. Until more information is available, Estonia will not vaccinate people under 60 years old with the vaccine. Of course, 1,000 percent of the experts do not agree, but experts have said there is a link between the vaccine and the syndrome, Lutsar said.
The advisory council still recommends the vaccine is used for people over the age of 60 and Lutsar said it is as good as other vaccines at preventing a serious form of the illness.