Coronavirus vaccinations in Espoo

Book an appointment through the online system at bookcovidvaccine.fi(extrernal link)

• Guardians can book an appointment on behalf of their child under the age of 18.

If you want to book an appointment by phone, call our number 09 816 34800 (Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00) and leave a call-back request.

• Please only call us once and wait for our call. We will return calls as vaccination appointments become available. 
• Text message service for the deaf and hard of hearing, tel. 040 639 3945. 

You must book a separate vaccination appointment for each person, but the appointments may be back to back.

You can book an appointment on behalf of your child under 18 years of age through the online system at bookcovidvaccine.fi(extrernal link). This requires strong identification, for example through online banking codes.

You can book an appointment on behalf of an elderly person through the online system at bookcovidvaccine.fi(extrernal link) if you have been authorised to do so. You can authorise someone to act on your behalf via the Suomi.fi online service. Both the authoriser and the authorised person need online banking codes or a mobile ID for identification. At Suomi.fi, the authorisation in question is called ‘managing matters related to healthcare’. For more information about the Suomi.fi e-Authorisations, click on this link(extrernal link).

You will receive a confirmation message on your appointments by email or text message. The message includes instructions for changing the appointment date. The confirmation message contains the required link, appointment ID and a PIN for cancelling or rescheduling your appointment at bookcovidvaccine.fi(extrernal link). If you cancel your first vaccination appointment, your appointment for the booster dose will also be cancelled and you need to book new appointments for both.  

You can also use the appointment ID and PIN to only cancel or reschedule the second appointment. The period between the two vaccine doses must be no shorter than 6 weeks and no longer than 12 weeks and 5 days.

We have several vaccination sites, some of them are new and temporary. When using the online appointment booking system, you can find all vaccination sites and available appointments by selecting “Espoo”. You will receive directions to the vaccination site together with the confirmation message. Our temporary vaccination sites may only be open for a few days or weeks.

• Vaccination site at Tapiola Health Centre (Ahertajantie 2(extrernal link))
• Iso Omena vaccination site, 2nd floor (Suomenlahdentie 1(extrernal link))
• Lintuvaara vaccination site (Veräjäkallionkatu 3(extrernal link))
• Vaccination site at Iso Omena maternity and child health clinic (Suomenlahdentie 1, Service Centre, 3rd floor)
• Espoon keskus vaccination site (Lakelankatu 1(extrernal link))

  • There are a limited number of parking spaces: There is a parking lot with 1-hour parking spaces (approx. 20 spaces) on the left as you turn onto Lakelankatu. In the upper yard, near the vaccination site entrance, there are 30-minute parking spaces (approx. 15 spaces). You can also park your car in the parking lot of the Keski-Espoo swimming pool (walking distance 200 m) or the Kirkkopuisto parking lot next to the cathedral (walking distance 300 m) while visiting the vaccination site.

Your second coronavirus vaccination appointment should take place at the earliest 6 weeks after your first vaccination.

A third dose of the vaccine will be offered to everyone aged 18 and over. The third dose of the coronavirus vaccine is available 4 months after the second vaccine dose. People aged 60 and over as well as those belonging to risk groups can have the third dose 3–4 months after the second dose. People with a severely weakened immune system can get the third dose after at least 2 months have passed since the second dose.

A fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine is offered to people aged 12 and older whose immune system is severely weakened. The fourth dose can be administered after 3–4 months have passed since the third dose.

The following conditions are considered to cause severe immunodeficiency:

• organ transplant
• stem cell transplant
• severe or moderate congenital immunodeficiency
• immunosuppressive cancer treatment
• treatment of an autoimmune disease with immunosuppressive biological drugs or JAK inhibitors
• dialysis and severe chronic kidney failure
• advanced or untreated HIV
• other severe immunosuppressive condition diagnosed by a doctor.

For people aged 18 or over who have had the disease, we recommend the first coronavirus vaccine dose at the earliest after 2 months of having the disease.

• People aged under 18 can get vaccinated four to six months after having had the disease.
• People with severe immunodeficiency can have the vaccine 1–3 months after having had the disease.

Having had covid-19 triggers an immune response that corresponds to one vaccine dose. If the vaccine is administered shortly after a person has had the disease, it may cause more severe transient vaccine reactions.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) recommends that a second dose is offered as a booster to those who have had the coronavirus disease confirmed by a PCR test and have received one vaccine dose.

A second vaccine dose

• is recommended for people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups 3–4 months after they received the first dose or had the disease, whichever happened most recently.
• can be offered to everyone aged 18 or over 4–6 months after they received the first dose or had the disease, whichever happened most recently.
  

For those who have had the coronavirus disease, the second vaccine dose works in the same way as a third dose for persons who have not had the disease.

To boost their protection, a person who has had the coronavirus disease will need a second vaccine dose 3–6 months after having the disease or receiving the first dose. However, a second vaccine dose may be administered earlier than this if it is necessary for travel or other weighty reasons. In this case, a second dose can be administered with the normal interval of 6–12 weeks.

Most people do not need a third vaccine dose for protection if they have had the coronavirus disease and received two vaccine doses.

We recommend a third dose for people aged 12 and over with severe immunodeficiency, even if they have had the coronavirus disease. A third dose is recommended for this group 3–4 months after they received the previous dose or had the disease, whichever happened most recently.

A third dose may also be given to other people who have had the disease if it is necessary, for example for travel purposes or some other compelling reason. A third dose can then be given in accordance with the schedule determined for third doses.

If you have booked a coronavirus vaccination appointment, you can also get the influenza vaccine during the same appointment. Inform the nurse at the site if you also want to get the influenza vaccine. We will offer influenza vaccines for as long as there are vaccines left.

There are two different mRNA coronavirus vaccines available in Espoo: the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine and the Moderna Spikevax vaccine. In addition, the Janssen adenovirus vector vaccine is available at the Iso Omena vaccination site in Espoo.

You can read more about the coronavirus vaccines on the THL website.(extrernal link)

The aim is to use the same vaccine for the first and second dose. If, for some reason, the same mRNA vaccine is not available, another manufacturer’s mRNA vaccine can be used for the second dose.

According to recommendations, the third dose should primarily be the same vaccine as the second dose unless there is a medical reason for not using the vaccine. For a special reason, such as severe allergy or the age limit set for the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines, different vaccines may be used for different doses. Also, if the same vaccine is not available in the municipality, another vaccine may be used for the third dose.

Pregnancy increases the risk of severe coronavirus disease. Pregnancy predisposes to severe coronavirus disease. The coronavirus vaccine protects pregnant women from severe coronavirus disease.

People who contract the coronavirus during pregnancy have an increased risk of stillbirth and premature birth. It has also been found that having the coronavirus disease during pregnancy also increases the newborn baby’s risk of needing intensive care.

Towards the end of pregnancy, the growing uterus starts to press on the mother’s lungs and reduces her lung capacity. Pregnancy and childbirth increase the risk of blood clots. The coronavirus disease increases the risk of clots further.

We recommend that everyone who is pregnant gets vaccinated against the coronavirus. You can get vaccinated at any point during pregnancy. All doses of the vaccine can be administered during pregnancy.

You do not need to stop trying to get pregnant due to vaccinations.

The coronavirus vaccine is now available to everyone aged 5 or over. The vaccine is available at vaccination sites by appointment only.

Children aged under 12 must be accompanied by at least one adult. In Espoo, under 12-year-olds can only get vaccinated if they have a consent form signed by all guardians. You must bring the signed consent form with you to the vaccination site. Please discuss the vaccination with your child in advance to hear their opinion on getting the vaccine.

Print/download the consent form here: Guardian’s consent for a vaccination of a minor against COVID-19(extrernal link).

For the time being, coronavirus vaccines will not be administered at schools.

The fastest way to get vaccinated is to visit a vaccination site. If your functional capacity is reduced and you are unable to visit a vaccination site, you can get vaccinated at home. Espoo residents of all ages whose turn it is to get vaccinated can request to be vaccinated at home by calling Nestori – Guidance and Service Counselling for Senior Citizens. The staff at Nestori will interview you or your family member and examine your patient data. Based on their findings, they will refer you to be vaccinated either at a vaccination site or at home. Underlying health conditions, use of assistive devices, age or fear are not obstacles to getting vaccinated at a vaccination site.

Booster vaccination appointments can be brought forward for people who are going abroad to work or to study. You can sign up for the waiting list if your student exchange or work assignment has been confirmed, not if it is only a possibility. The duration of your stay abroad must be at least three months, and your first and second vaccination must be at least three weeks apart. You cannot sign up for the waiting list if you are travelling for leisure.

If you want to be put on the waiting list, please call our number 09 816 34800 (Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00) and leave a call-back request. Professionals will determine whether your booster vaccination appointment can be brought forward. If yes, you will be put on the waiting list for accelerated booster vaccinations.  An accelerated vaccination schedule is also offered to family members travelling abroad with you. Please note! You can bring forward your booster vaccination at the earliest to 6 weeks from the first dose online at bookcovidvaccine.fi(extrernal link).

If you have previously had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, you can receive the coronavirus vaccine with special arrangements. If you are for some other reason not sure if you can get vaccinated at a vaccination site, please contact our coronavirus helpline. Our nurse will assess your situation and give you advice on how to get vaccinated.

Coronavirus helpline, tel. 09 816 34600 (Mon–Fri 7:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 9:00–15:00). Text message service for the deaf and hard of hearing, tel. 040 639 3945.

If you are afraid of the vaccination situation or something related to it, tell the lobby staff about this as you arrive at the vaccination site so that we can take your needs into account and make the necessary arrangements.