The National Vaccine Expert Group (KRAR) has recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be administered in Finland to people under the age of 70 only.
The expert group, established by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), said the recommendation will be amended as necessary as more research data on the effects of the vaccine on different age groups becomes available.
The announcement on Wednesday follows speculation that the AstraZeneca vaccine--which was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) last week--might not be approved for the elderly as the vaccine’s trial data covering the over-70 age group is not extensive.
THL's chief physician Hanna Nohynek told a Wednesday morning press conference that the decision was based on the higher risk of the virus to people in that age category.
"When trying to prevent loss of life, it seems natural to take it from the point where the clear exponential rise starts," Nohynek explained.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about 54,000 people over the age of 70 have been vaccinated in Finland, according to Mia Kontio of THL. KRAR recommends the continued use of mRNA vaccines for this age group.
Kontio added that about two million vaccine doses should be received in Finland by the end of April, and that everyone over the age of 70 should be vaccinated by that time. About 230,000 doses of vaccine have so far arrived in Finland, according to the latest THL figures.
Furthermore, Kontio estimated that between 2.5 and 3.5 million people in Finland will have received at least the first dose by the summer.
"But there are many factors and one that is being researched is how vaccination prevents further transmission. More information is constantly being accumulating about this," Kontio said.
Interval between doses can be extended to 12 weeks
In a separate recommendation, KRAR said that the interval between doses of vaccines can be extended to 12 weeks.
"In this way, we can protect the elderly more quickly with the amount of vaccines that come to us," Kontio said.
This recommendation applies to all three vaccines which have been granted a marketing authorisation for use in the EU, and subsequently Finland: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.
"The vaccinated person usually gets better protection when the dosing interval is extended, because the resistance produced by the body matures and strengthens," THL's Nohynek said. "At the same time, a longer dosing interval will help to rapidly increase vaccination coverage in a severe epidemic situation, when small batch doses are sufficient for vaccinating more people."