Care home nurse Sanna Elkadiri, 39, will receive first coronavirus vaccination

Care home nurse Sanna Elkadiri will be the first person in the Netherlands to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The 39-year-old works for Het Wereldhuis, a residential facility in Boxtel, Noord-Brabant, that specializes in the treatment of people with dementia, or with physical limitations.

Her employer, Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen, told her on Saturday she had the option to be the first Dutch person to receive the vaccine. “I was immediately enthusiastic,” she told newspaper AD.

Getting to that frame of mind did not happen overnight though. Elkadiri had been rather concerned about the seemingly quick development and approval process of the first coronavirus vaccines.

"I understand the fear very well," she said. “In the beginning I was also one of the Dutch people who had doubts. I thought it was scary. Was it properly tested? I thought: I will not be vaccinated,” she told the newspaper.

“But I have read a lot, and researched a lot. I have a lot of faith in science. It feels safe.” She will be joined by several colleagues when she receives the injection at the Hart voor Brabant vaccination facility set up in Veghel.

Het Wereldhuis has no current coronavirus infections among its residents, but the facility lost 17 of its 124 residents within a one-month period earlier last year. Elkadiri avoided going out into public to prevent catching the coronavirus infection and spreading it to the people close to her.

After a recent flair-up of infections at the care home, she fears the worst if a third wave hits the country. Elkadiri said she wants as many people in the Netherlands to get vaccinated so that the care home remains safe.

“To me, this feels like a moral obligation to my clients, to the people who fought to stay alive,” she said. She was also not particularly concerned about side effects, and said she would deal with that if it arises.

“If this allows my clients to enjoy their children and grandchildren longer and allow society to become more normal again, then I would be happy to contribute to that.”