The vaccines used will be the one-shot Johnson&Johnson product, following a recent delivery of the first batch of these to Estonia.

Healthcare professionals – visiting nurses – in Harju, Tartu and Ida-Viru counties will administer the inoculations, initially to those aged 60 and over who have mobility or health issues, Maivi Parv, board member at the Health Insurance Fund (Haigekassa) said.

Additionally, relatives of those in care homes are also entitled to receive the shot.

"We understand that caring for a seriously ill loved one is a major task and responsibility, and protecting the health of these people is also important, to ensure that a caregiver does not get sick," Parv added.

The first injections will start mid-week and will be free-of-charge, ERR reports, while after two weeks, the Health Insurance Fund will roll out the scheme nationwide.

2,400 doses of Janssen coronavirus vaccines arrived in Estonia last week. Janssen is a subsidiary of Johnson&Johnson.

Those who want the injection at home should be added to the requisite list by a family doctor; this list will in turn be given to the home nursing service provider, who will then make arrangements for administering the shot.

To date, around 500 people are already on the list, which is being updated on a daily basis.

Sixty such nursing service providers are located nationwide, along with 44 from healthcare centers, the health fund says.

Harju, Tartu and Ida-Viru counties together are home to over 890,000 people, or close to 70 percent of the population of Estonia.

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