"Vaccination cannot be deemed as completed yet, this process is ongoing and we are glad that employees who have needed more time to think continue to inform about their wish to get  vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease," the hospital's chief Priit Perens said.

"High vaccine coverage serves as an example for others in society, reduces illness among the employees of the hospital and protects also patients against potential spread of the virus within the hospital," Perens said.

He added that it is the hospital's goal to vaccinate all their employees. 

The administering of vaccine at the hospital started on Dec. 27, just like elsewhere in Europe. The first to get the vaccine were the employees who are in immediate contact with COVID-19 patients, followed by employees at other departments and employees of auxiliary services. 

"By now, by professional group, the ratio of vaccination is highest among doctors, of whom 87 percent have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of nursing staff 73 percent, of care personnel 72 percent and of auxiliary personnel 69 percent have been vaccinated with the first dose of vaccine," the hospital chief said.

Vivika Adamson, an employee of the hospital's infection control department who registers side effects in people to whom the vaccine is administered, said that two percent of those vaccinated informed about side effects after getting the first jab and six percent after getting the second. 

"The main local side effects have been injection site pain, redness and swelling. Of systemic side effects, the most common are fever, joint pain and muscle pain, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and feeling of fatigue and weakness. In most cases these symptoms have passed in 48 hours," Adamson said.

In addition to the vaccination of own staff and people of at-risk groups, Tartu University Hospital is also providing inoculations to dental care personnel, pharmacists, educators, front line staff and others, said Tiina Teder, coordinator of the vaccination team at the hospital.

As at the end of February, 3,336 people from outside the hospital had been been provided inoculations at the hospital, Teder said.

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