Tartu vaccination center wants to vaccinate people in local municipalities
Tartu Vaccination Center wants to encourage people from the surrounding municipalities to visit the city and get vaccinated but local governments say more funding is needed.
Tiina Teder, the coordinator of the Tartu Vaccination Center, told ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" on Monday: "I think that maybe older people can't get around these smaller rural areas very easily as maybe bus transport is not frequent enough. Here the municipality could very well come to the aid of bringing these people together. We will definitely accept them, vaccinated them and they can go back on the bus."
She said it is especially important to bring people to the vaccination center from Elva and Peipsiääre municipalities where fewer than 60 percent of people are vaccinated.
Elva deputy mayor Marika Saar said it is worth trying the scheme but state support is needed.
"Certainly there are those who think this solution is convenient, the bus takes them from home, takes them to the vaccination center. But I still think it should be a very strong partnership with the state, so that in the end it is not just up to the municipalities. / ... / The local governments have not foreseen such costs in their budgets. If at some point we might be able to bring vaccination buses to other places, the result would be even more effective," she said.
Marek Seer, head of the government's vaccination workgroup, said several local governments have managed to organize vaccination themselves and should continue to do so.
"The municipality of Saarde, the government of Lääne-Harju County brought their people to larger vaccination centers. /.../ I believe that the municipality the size of Elva will also manage well," he said.
Tartu Vaccination Center hopes to start negotiations with the municipalities this week.
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Editor: Helen Wright