Estonia city pulls ahead in youth vaccination drive

Estonia's second largest city Tartu is quickly becoming a model for its effort to get most children aged 12-17 vaccinated ahead of the school year in September.

Tartu has 95,000 residents and around half of the town's 3,131 teenagers have already received their first vaccine, and local health officials are confident they will hit 70% in the coming 30 days.

13-year-old Gloria Raudjärv arrived at a drop in vaccination centre which was located in a sports hall in the city with her father.

Gloria, an aspiring young singer, is looking forward to start her seventh grade in school and to be able to perform again on stage.

Her parents had to consult the family doctor before deciding to vaccinate due to a pre-existing condition.

Tiina Teder, who is in charge of the vaccination centre run by the Tartu University Hospital, said many school children were being vaccinated as part of the 'Open Tartu' campaign.

Currently, Estonians under the age of 18 can only receive the Pzifer vaccine.

Schools in Estonia were closed in the first half of the year for in-contact-learning, so vaccinating youth is seen as essential for the safe return to class.

Vaccination is not mandatory, but the Ministry of Education has asked schools and municipalities to encourage students to get the shots.

And while Tartu is leading the drive, the nationwide rate is still below 30% with some regions around only 10%.

12-year-old Joonas Leis says he didn't mind distance learning but missed his friends.

Meanwhile, parents are praising the campaign for its ease: no pre-registration is needed and everyone, regardless of their residency, can drop in for a shot.

Ott Maidre teaches biology at the Hugo Treffner Gymnasium.

He hasn't met his students for six months now and is hoping to see them finally back in class in a month's time.

Despite Estonia's efficient digital solutions for distant learning, both teachers and pupils miss real school.

Tartu's success in getting pupils vaccinated is the result of a joint effort between schools and the municipality.

Vice Mayor Mihkel Lees has led the campaign that includes all communication channels available to schools as well as social media platforms.

If vaccination centres can't reach enough kids by the end of the month, the next step will be getting school nurses involved.

The southern regions of Estonia are gearing up for drop-in vaccination days in several schools for August hoping to attract pupils and their family too.