“Coronavirus vaccine helps bring normalcy”, JHL’s specialist reminds
Taking the coronavirus vaccine protects employees from a dangerous infectious disease. The safety of the vaccine will be ensured carefully before it is released on the Finnish market. JHL’s members should take the vaccines recommended by Finnish healthcare authorities.
JHL’s star professionals have kept Finnish society rolling throughout the entire coronavirus crisis. Nursing staff, hospital cleaners, bus, train and tram drivers and early childhood education and care professionals cannot work from home.
Even if everyone washed their hands diligently and wore a face mask, it would still be possible to get infected with COVID-19 in the workplace or on the journey to or from work. The coronavirus vaccination starting in Finland at the beginning of 2021 will ease the situation. The first vaccine doses may already be administered in December 2020.
– Taking the vaccine is an occupational safety and health issue. People should protect themselves against a dangerous infectious disease, JHL’s Working Life Specialist Merja Hyvärinen emphasises.
JHL’s Working Life Specialist Merja Hyvärinen
It has to be possible to take the coronavirus vaccine during working hours, because taking the vaccine is of great use to employers as well.
The first to be vaccinated are nursing staff and at-risk groups
The coronavirus vaccine will be administered based on a medical risk evaluation. In practice, this means that nursing staff along with seniors and other people belonging to at-risk groups will be the first to be vaccinated. Thus far it is not clear when all people in Finland will get the chance to take the vaccine. In December 2020, the exact amount of vaccines that Finland will receive is still a mystery.
The vaccination order of people in Finland is based on a vaccination strategy approved by the Finnish Government in December. Many of JHL’s star professionals work in professions that involve close contact with people. Hyvärinen hopes that for example early childhood education and care professionals and school personnel could be vaccinated within reasonable time. The vaccine would also be important to personal assistants.
– They do their work close to the client, in the client’s home. Assistants cannot choose whether or not they will assist a severely disabled person. In addition, they usually do their work in people’s homes. You cannot carry out an occupational safety and health inspection just like that in homes, because that is a violation of domiciliary peace.
Coronavirus vaccine was completed in record time, but its safety will be ensured before vaccination
Hyvärinen emphasises that taking the vaccine is voluntary, and employers cannot in any way force anyone to take the vaccine. Some people are unable to take the vaccine for medical reasons.
A vaccine can only get a marketing authorisation when experts have stated that the vaccine is safe.
JHL’s members should take the vaccines recommended by Finnish healthcare authorities. The safety of the coronavirus vaccine may make you suspicious, because the vaccine has been completed in record time.
Vaccines given in Finland are strictly controlled. A vaccine can only get a marketing authorisation when experts have stated that the vaccine is safe and effective. The European Commission grants the marketing authorisation. The decision is made based on an evaluation by the European Medicines Agency.
– There is a lot of false and misleading information on vaccines on the internet. Be critical of your sources and follow information distributed by authorities. After all, vaccination research has been conducted for over 200 years worldwide. Anti-vaccination may have to do with the fact that many people still remember the problems related to the swine flu vaccine, Hyvärinen ponders.
Hyvärinen reminds that the swine flu vaccine was based on a completely different technology than the coronavirus vaccine.
Thus far taking the vaccine is the only way for the entire population to protect themselves against coronavirus, Hyvärinen reminds.
– Vaccination leads to a herd immunity against COVID-19. The same thing has happened before with other infectious diseases.
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