It is recommended that people who have contracted COVID-19 and recovered be vaccinated with a single dose of vaccine, usually in the sixth month after recovery, which means that those who were ill with COVID-19 in winter or spring of this year should now go and get an inoculation.

Vaccination is even more important if more than six months have passed since recovery, spokespeople for the ministry said on Tuesday, adding that a single dose suffices also in that case.

There are more than 80,000 people in Estonia who have been infected with the coronavirus but have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.

"There are currently enough vaccines and options for vaccination close to one's home in Estonia. I urge everyone whose recovery dates back six months or more to get vaccinated in order to obtain more effective and long-lasting protection against this serious disease," Health and Labor Minister Tanel Kiik (Center) said.

"The certificate of recovery is only valid for six months, and in order to get an EU digital vaccination certificate for one year when it expires, the injection has to be performed at least a couple of weeks before the expiry of the certificate of recovery," he said.

For those who had already received one dose of vaccine but still fell ill, the need for further vaccination depends on the length of the time period between receiving the injection and falling ill. If the person fell ill less than two weeks after the first dose, it is recommended to get a second dose after six months. If the time period was longer than two weeks, it is not necessary to administer the next dose until the need for a booster dose is known.

As on August 29, a total of 141,599 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in Estonia, of whom 53,928 have since been vaccinated and 4,236 fell ill after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. For the latter, the vaccination course is deemed to be completed. Meanwhile, 83,435 people who have been ill with COVID-19 remain unvaccinated.

From August 26, people at least 18 years of age must prove their infection safety at places to eat, entertainment venues and events, sports clubs, hobby groups and similar by providing proof of vaccination, recovery from the coronavirus, or a negative test result. The vaccination certificate is valid for 12 months and the certificate of recovery for half a year.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!