It is not yet clear how many of the applications will be accepted and the checking process can take several months. The payments can be made to people who were vaccinated after December 2020.

The scheme gives people a one-off income tax-free benefit. To qualify the person must have been affected for at least four months after they got their shot and it must have been confirmed by a doctor.

This year €1 million has been set aside for payments.

Riho Peek, head of the finance department, said applicants must submit all the relevant information.

"An important point in the application is, for example, giving consent so the Estonian Health Insurance Fund and the State Agency of Medicines can see their health data. Without consent, the application process is more complicated and the person must submit all the necessary health data together with the application," he added.

Applications can be submitted on the Patient Portal.  

From 2023, the system will be extended to other vaccines, including influenza, tick-borne encephalitis and vaccinations needed for travel.

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