Who can get vaccinated?
- All residents of Estonia, as well as all foreign citizens residing or temporarily staying in Estonia, can get vaccinated against COVID-19 free of charge.
- For which course of vaccination is recommended, read here with an overview infographic (as of March 13, 2023).
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.
- 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.
Booking a vaccination
Book your slot
- 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.
- 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 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.
I’d like to have a second dose
During your previous immunization, you got the appointment for your second dose, also the location. Usually, it’ll be the same place you got your first jab. If you’d like to change the time or the location for your second jab (because of falling ill or your travels), you should cancel the current booking, and then book a new one.
By the recommendations of the state immunoprophylaxis committee, the interval between two doses should be 6 weeks with the Comirnaty vaccine by Pfizer/BioNtech, 4 weeks with the Spikevax by Moderna, and 3 weeks with the Nuvaxovid.
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.
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.
As of March 2023, booster doses are recommended primarily for at-risk groups and the elderly. All adults can take the first two booster doses as needed (for example, when traveling to a risk area). Booster doses are given at least 6 months after the last dose or after experiencing COVID-19. For more information, see the recommendations in the overview diagram here.
The maximum protection of a booster dose is achieved in two weeks after the vaccination.
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.
What vaccine to prefer for a booster jab?
- The immunoprophylaxis expert committee recommends the use of supplemented bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as a booster dose. In addition to the original strain of the coronavirus that causes the disease, the updated Covid-19 vaccines also contain protection against omicron variants of the coronavirus.
Three different supplemented Covid-19 vaccines will be available in Estonia from autumn 2022:
Comirnaty original/omikron BA.1 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech)
Comirnaty original/omikron BA.4–BA.5 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech)
Spikevax original/omikron BA.1 vaccine (Moderna)
Spikevax original/omikron BA.4-BA.5 vaccine (Moderna)
- The supplemented bivalent COVID-19 vaccine can be used as a booster dose, regardless of which vaccines have been used for previous vaccinations against COVID-19.
- A bivalent mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty or Spikevax) is used as a booster dose for 12-17 year olds.
- For 5-11-year-olds belonging to the risk group, Comirnaty monovalent vaccine for the given age group is used as a booster dose 6 months after the last dose or recovery.
- Research so far shows that mixing vaccines provides even stronger immune protection than boosting with the same vaccine as the previous course.
I’d like a second booster jab
The 2nd booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for at-risk groups. According to the immunoprophylaxis expert committee, the risk group includes everyone over 60 years old and over 12 years old, who have a higher risk of suffering from severe COVID-19 due to some chronic disease. If necessary, ask your family doctor or the specialist who monitors the condition for advice on belonging to a risk group.
Where and how can I have my second booster jab?
If you want to do the 2nd boosting dose, then:
• Find your nearest vaccination point https://vaktsineeri.ee/en/covid-19/vaccination-points/
• Book an appointment by phone, at the digital registration desk or visit a vaccination point without pre-registration.
• People with mobility difficulties can also be vaccinated at home. To do this, contact your family doctor or call the Health Insurance Fund customer phone (+372) 669 6630.
• Residents and employees of nursing homes are vaccinated by the nursing home’s nursing service providers or it is organized by a family doctor.
What vaccine to prefer for a second booster jab?
- Bivalent mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty or Moderna Spikevax) are recommended for a second booster dose after six months from the last dose or from the onset of COVID-19 disease.
- If a person has experienced serious side effects to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines during previous vaccinations, the Nuvaxovid vaccine can also be used as a booster dose at the doctor’s decision.
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 to vaccinate 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
The Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine is used to vaccinate at-risk children aged 5-11 years in two doses. The second dose of the vaccine must be given six weeks after the first. Full protection may take up to 7 days after you receive your second dose of vaccine.
To vaccinate 6-11 year-old children with Moderna’s Spikevax, 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
Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty is suitable for vaccinating at-risk children aged 12-17. When vaccinating young people aged 12-17 years, use the same amounts as for adults.
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. The vaccine used to vaccinate teens (12-17 is the same as for adults.
A booster dose can be given to children of this age in case of certain health conditions or diseases, i.e. if there is a risk of serious illness. Bivalent mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty or Moderna Spikevax) are used as booster doses.
How to pre-book the vaccination of 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, 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.
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.
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.
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 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
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. Depending on the country, a valid proof of vaccination might provide you more freedom, for example no mandatory self-isolation or pre-arrival testing, when crossing the border, etc.
- 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.
