Getting a vaccination

Who can get vaccinated?

• All people who live in Estonia and are at least 5 years old, can get vaccinated against COVID-19. You can read more about vaccinating children here.
• Vaccination is for free also for foreigners who live or visit Estonia.
• Your immunization will be temporarily postponed if you have a high temperature, you’re ill with COVID-19, or you’ve been a close contact of someone who caught the virus.
• People who’ve recovered from COVID-19, are recommended to get vaccinated with one dose on their 6th month after their recovery.
• Booster doses become available if at least three months has passed since finishing your vaccination course with Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines and two months with Janssen’s vaccine. For people, who are recovered from the coronavirus, it is recommended having a booster dose 5 months after the recovery or the last vaccination. For 12-17 year olds, booster doses are done only if because of their underlying health conditions, they are in a risk group of falling severely ill.

COVID-19 risk groups

Getting vaccinated is especially important for people, who are in the risk group of the COVID-19 because of their age or other illnesses.

COVID-19 risk study:

• Age (the risk grows exponentially with the age of 60+)
• Heart diseases (coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, heart valve disease and heart failure, heart aches, high blood pressure, etc)
• Kidney- and liver diseases
• Overweight/obesity
• Stroke, carotid artery disease
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Cancer

With these health conditions, getting vaccinated is essential to prevent severe COVID-19 illness.

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How to book a vaccination?

• Phone state helpline 1247 (daily from 8AM to 8PM)
• Digitally at www.digiregistratuur.ee
• Phone to the registration desk of the closest hospital or medical health centre.
• To get vaccinated in your nearest pharmacy, book your slot digitally www.vaktsineeriapteegis.ee
• People with mobility issues can get vaccinated at home. To book a vaccination, please contact your family doctor or call state helpline 1247.
• All vaccination points and their opening times can be found here. 

NB! You can get vaccinated without pre-booking, just use one of those walk-in vaccination points! 

I’d like to have a first dose

You can choose Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA Comirnaty vaccine, Moderna mRNA Spikevax vaccine, Nuvaxovid vaccine by Novavax, or Jcovden virus vector vaccine as your first dose.

When you go to your vaccination, please take a document to prove your identity with you (ID card or passport).

During your first immunization, you’ll also get a time for your second jab. If you need to change the time or the location for your second jab, you need to cancel the time given to you, and book a new one through Estonian national digital registry or phoning national helpline 1247.

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I’d like to have a second dose

Changing the appointment of your second dose

If, for some reason, you need to change the time or the location for your second jab you should cancel the current booking, and then book a new one using the national digital booking system or calling state helpline 1247. While booking your new time slot, keep in mind that all vaccines have their minimum timeframe between two doses that should be considered.

How to prove that I’m vaccinated?

There are multiple certifications you can use in Estonia. Information about your vaccination status, and your digital vaccination certificate, is available in a patient’s portal digilugu.ee.

Read more about the vaccination certificates and documents. 

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I’d like a booster dose

The objective of a booster dose is to remind your immune system that the risk of falling ill with the coronavirus still exists, and to support its ability to protect the body from the virus.

Booster doses are necessary for all adults, but essential for elderly people and care home inhabitants, who are in the risk of falling severely ill because of their weakened immunity. Booster doses decrease the need for the hospitalizations remarkably.

For 12-17 year-olds can have booster doses with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine if they have a health condition or a disease that puts them into a risk of falling severely ill with the coronavirus. If a booster dose is needed, it is assessed by a doctor, and a booster dose might be considered before travelling into a country, where is a high risk of contracting the coronavirus.

If your vaccination was done with Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna, then you’re eligible for the booster jab three months after completing your first vaccination course. If Jcovden vaccine was used, the minimum timeframe between the first vaccination course and booster dose is two months.

People, who are recovered from coronavirus, can have their booster doses on the sixth month after their recovery or their last vaccination.

The maximum protection of a booster dose is achieved in two weeks after the vaccination.

After having a booster dose, you need to create a new COVID-19 certificate via Patient’s Portal.

Where and how can I have my booster jab?

If you’d like to have your booster dose, then you have multiple options:

• Check a Patient’s Portal, when is the correct time to have your booste.
• Book a slot via the Patient’s Portal, or go to the nearest vaccination point.
• Care home inhabitants and workers are usually vaccinated by their nursing service provider.
• People with moving disabilities can get vaccinated at home. To call a vaccinator at home, please contact your family physician’s office, or call the state helpline 1247.

What vaccine to prefer for a booster jab?

• For booster doses, the options are between Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Comirnaty, Nuvaxovid vaccine by Novavax, or Moderna vaccine Spikevax. What vaccine was used during the first vaccination course, is not relevant.
• There are exemptions (for example, an allergic reaction to mRNA vaccine), when the vaccinator can use Jcovden vaccine for a booster dose.
• For 12-17- year-olds, booster doses are done with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Comirnaty.
• If your vaccination course was done with Pfizer/BioNTech, you can use Moderna for a booster jab and vice versa.
• The efficacy of the vaccines are similar, and the studies have shown that mixing vaccines gives even better protection.

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Vaccination of children

COVID-19 illness is unpredictable and may affect the health and quality of life for a long time, even when you’re young. Getting vaccinated might not give you the full protection against the virus, but catching and falling seriously ill and being hospitalized is remarkably less likely.

Why are we vaccinating children against COVID-19?

Although children are less likely to fall severely ill with COVID-19, they:

• contract the virus that causes COVID-19 illness
• might fall severely ill with COVID-19
• might develop short—and long-time complications
• spread COVID-19

Children, who are vaccinated, can safely attend kindergarten, school and hobby-classes. One of the studies showed that children who got vaccinated with 2 Pfizer doses, are 91% less likely to develop a Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome 

Vaccination of 5-11-year-olds against COVID-19

Children between the age of 5-11 can get vaccinated in Estonia since mid-December 2021. It’s free of charge.

Children between the age of 5-11 will be vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine, and the dose of the vaccine compared to adults is 3 times smaller (10 µg instead of 30 µg) and in two doses. The second dose is done six weeks after the first dose. The vaccine used to vaccinate children in this age group is not the same as for teens (12-17) and adults, but it’s a different vaccine packed for this age group only.

To vaccinate 6-11 year-old children with Spikevax, half (50 µg) of the dose meant for the age group 12+ is used. NB! Spikevax can be used to vaccinated 6-11-year-olds only if parents ask for it, but the current data shows that mild or moderate side effects are more common than with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

It’s recommended by the Estonian experts that children who’ve recovered from COVID-19, should (as adults) be vaccinated with one dose six months after their recovery.

Here are 10 most common questions answered by the Estonian doctors. We recommend reading them if you are hesitant about getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19.

The vaccination of 12-17- year-olds against COVID-19

To vaccinate 12-17-year-olds, Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna Spikevax are recommended.

Booster-doses are available for this age group if they have a health condition or disease that puts them into a risk group, who might fall severely ill. For 12-17- year-olds, booster doses are done with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine Comirnaty.

How to choose the time of vaccination for your child?

To pre-book a time for the vaccination against COVID-19 for your 12-17-year old, go to Estonian patient’s portal digilugu.ee, call state helpline 1247, sign up on a website vaktsineeriapteegis.ee or register in your nearest hospital or health centre. When registering digitally, time must be booked by a parent or carer.

If vaccination is available at school, parents will be informed.

5-11-year-olds will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in vaccination cabinets of hospitals and in family physician’s offices. To book a time, a parent can contact any family physician’s office. Children can also get vaccinated in Confido’s and Corrigo’s vaccinations points (slots can be pre-booked via the digital registry).

If the family physician has joined the national digital registry, or the parent prefers the hospital’s vaccination cabinet, the parent, or carer can book a time via digital registry.

Parental consent for COVID-19 vaccination

12-17 year-olds

In vaccination centres and family physicians, a parental consent is not needed if a child agrees to get vaccinated, and by the doctor’s judgement, the child is competent enough to understand all the pros and cons of the vaccination. If a young person is not able to do that, parental consent is needed. (This decision is based on a Law of Obligations, § 766 lg 4. Also read the opinion of the Chancellor of Justice about the parental consent for vaccinating children at school.)

If a minor comes to the vaccination with their parent or carer, it can be presumed that both of them have agreed with the vaccination and no judgement about the kid’s competency is needed.

5-11 year-olds

• A parent and a child must find an agreement about the vaccination.
• Parents, who share custody, must also reach an agreement.
• A written consent is not asked when a parent comes to the family physician’s office for the vaccination of a child.

Parental consent for vaccination in schools

Vaccination against COVID-19 in schools should be followed by the same procedures as it’s with other vaccinations, so to prevent confusion, underage people in educational institutions will be vaccinated only with the consent of a parent or carer.

If a parent or carer hasn’t given the consent, but a 12-17 year old child wishes to get vaccinated, then the school nurse can recommend the child to have a consultation with a family doctor.

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Recovered from COVID-19

The immunity you’ll get, after recovering from COVID-19, is very individual, and being ill with mild symptoms might not give you a long-lasting immunity. For people, who got infected with COVID-19, it’s recommended getting vaccinated to get a better protection against the previous and future variants.

If a person falls ill with COVID-19

• Before vaccination, it’s recommended to have one dose of vaccine on the sixth month after recovery. After that, your first vaccination course is considered finished.
• Within two weeks after the first dose, they should be considered as recovered, and on the 6th month after their recovery, they’ll get their second dose, and their vaccination course is completed.
• Later than two weeks after their first dose of vaccine, but before their second dose, don’t need the second dose, and their vaccination course should be considered completed.

All COVID-19 vaccines used in Estonia are suitable also for people who’ve recovered from COVID-19. The decision, which vaccine to use, is yours. You can choose your vaccination station by the availability of vaccines, have a consultation with your family physician, or call family physician’s helpline 1220.

The state immunoprophylaxis committee recommends for people who’ve recovered from the coronavirus, and fully vaccinated, to have a booster dose on the sixth month after their first dose of a vaccine and/or their recovery. It’s recommended to monitor the infection rates before planning your booster and time it in a way that the level of protection is the strongest, when the infection numbers are the highest.

Vaccination of foreigners

• All foreigners can get vaccinated for free in Estonia. The Estonian ID-code is not necessary for the vaccination.
• Vaccination is organized similarly to the vaccination of Estonian residents, and in the same locations. To get vaccinated, you can book a slot here.

If you got your previous jab(s) abroad and would like to have the next one in Estonia, then you need to prove your previous vaccinations, and to book a slot for the jab.

Please check the interval of your vaccinations. If you’re vaccinated with a vaccine that is not used in Estonia, call to your family physician’s centre to find the best vaccine for you. If you don’t have a personal family doctor, call their state helpline 1220 or 634 6630. Calls will be answered by medical professionals, and they’ll answer your questions in English daily between 3PM and 5PM.

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What you should know before getting a vaccination?

Getting vaccinated is easier than you think: currently, there are numerous of walk-in vaccination centres and stations where you can get vaccinated without pre-registration, and in a time that suits you best. Everything else you should know about, before and after getting vaccinated, is available on this page.

Before going to get vaccinated

• Don’t forget to take your personal identification document with you!
• If you pre-booked your appointment, please go to this on time, or if you can’t go, let them know as soon as possible. This minimizes the wastage of doses, and everybody in Estonia can get vaccinated faster.
• Only come to the vaccination appointment if you’re healthy, and on arrival wear a face mask.
• Wear clothes that are easy to remove to bare your shoulder. COVID-19 vaccines are injected into your shoulder muscle.
• When planning your time, keep in mind that after getting your jab, you must stay there and be supervised by a health care worker for 15 minutes just in case if you shouldn’t feel well right after the vaccination.

Your state of health

• Before your immunization, a health care worker who vaccinates you, will give you a consultation and determines all possible contraindications to COVID-vaccine.
• The flu-vaccine and COVID-vaccine can be injected at the same day, but it’s important to keep in mind that if different vaccinations are done at the same day, the vaccines should be injected into different shoulders, to separate the possible reactions to one or the other.
• We’d like for you to pay attention that it’s recommended to have at least 14 days between the COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations (except flu-vaccine).

Possible side effects

• After getting your vaccination, side effects might appear. Most common side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are the pain, redness, and swelling of the injection area, also fever, headache, nausea, pain in joints and muscles, general sick feeling. Usually, all these will pass within a couple of days.
• If your side effects last longer than three days, or they are more serious, please contact with your family doctor or call the family doctor’s state helpline 1220.
• Besides people who vaccinate, you can also report your side effects to the State Agency of Medicines. The formula to report about COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

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What should you be aware of after the vaccination?

• Keep in mind that most COVID-19 vaccines require you to get two shots. After the first shot, you will receive an information sheet of the vaccine package, where the vaccinator will note down the time of administering the second dose. Make sure you come and get the second shot, as one shot does not guarantee full protection.
• Information on your vaccination will be entered into the health information system, where you can see it yourself from your digilugu and print out the e-immunisation passport if necessary. If you wish, you can also have the information entered into your yellow paper vaccination passport.
• After you have been fully vaccinated, you don’t need to stay in isolation initially during the 270 days (9 months) after your course of vaccinations. A vaccination certificates provides the freedom to travel and participate in social life.
• After the vaccination against COVID-19, there are some restrictions for donors.
  • After getting vaccinated with the vaccine with the weakened virus (Vaxzevria, Jcovden), donating blood is permitted 4 weeks after the vaccination.
  • After getting vaccinated with the dead virus, component vaccine or mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty, Curevac, Spikevax vaccines) donating blood is permitted if a person is healthy.
  • If the type of the vaccine is not known, donating blood is permitted 4 weeks after the vaccination. More information in Estonian here

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6 reasons why to get vaccinated against COVID-19

• You will protect yourself. The course of the disease is unpredictable. It may impose long-term damage on the health of both younger people and older people, potentially serving to deteriorate quality of life in many cases.
• You will protect hospitals. Firstly, vaccinated people are less likely to become infected with coronavirus. Secondly, even if the infection breaks through the vaccination, the course of the diseases is milder for vaccinated individuals. They are between two and three times less likely to end up in hospital. If they do require hospital treatment, their hospital stay will be shorter and easier.
• You will protect others. The more people who get themselves vaccinated, the lower will be the spread of coronavirus and the number of serious cases. By getting vaccinated, we protect those who are weaker than us and who cannot get vaccinated due to underlying health conditions. Our parents, children, friend, acquaintances, or any passer-by in the street may be amongst those individuals.
• You will become less infectious. Studies have revealed that if a vaccinated individual falls ill, they may only carry a viable virus in their body for a few days, although vaccinated individuals may still remain infectious for a week or even several weeks. Therefore, if we would like to protect our loved ones, getting vaccinated is certainly a good idea.
• You will have more freedom to travel. For 9 months after completing the vaccination process, vaccinated individuals will not be required to self-isolate after arriving in Estonia from abroad. For anyone who has had COVID-19, this time is 6 months after their recovery.
• It is very likely that COVID-19 will not go anywhere, but will instead remain circulating amongst us. Therefore, we will all need to become immune, and vaccination is the safest way to be able to achieve this.