800 doses of the vaccine will be distributed to hospitals that can ensure storage at the necessary 20 degrees Celsius below zero, the Health Board said in a press release.

Vaccinations will be administered at West Tallinn Central Hospital (LTK), North Estonia Medical Center (PERH), Tartu University Hospital (TÜK), Pärnu Hospital and Ida-Viru Central Hospital.

The remaining 600 doses will be kept in the Health Board's warehouse and distributed as needed.

"The arrival of the monkeypox vaccine is good news for Estonia, as the majority of people under the age of 40 in Estonia have no immunity to pox," said Health Board Deputy Director General Mari-Anne Härma.

Vaccinating against monkeypox will help curb the further spread of the disease as well as protect the most vulnerable risk groups, she added.

Currently, only people who have come in close contact with infected persons or come in direct contact with infectious materials, such as in a lab, are being vaccinated in Estonia.

Adults aged 18-43 and all immunodeficient adults aged 18 and over are slated to receive two doses of the Jynneos vaccine, with the first dose to be administered within 14 days — but ideally the first four days — of contact with monkeypox. The second dose is administered 28 days later.

Regardless of age, lab workers in contact with infectious materials suspected of monkeypox are likewise to receive two doses of the vaccine.

Other adults aged 44 and older are to receive a single dose of the Jynneos vaccine, likewise to be administered within 14 days — but ideally the first four days — of contact with monkeypox.

As of Wednesday, August 24, a total of 10 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Estonia. The majority of those infected had been traveling abroad or come in close contact with someone who had traveled abroad prior to getting sick.

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