Netherlands Covid vaccination plans update on Jan. 13; When can you can get vaccinated?

The government updated its plans to vaccinate the Dutch population against the coronavirus, paying more attention to getting the elderly and medically vulnerable parts of society inoculated against Covid-19 quickly.

Over the past weeks, the Health Council repeatedly urged the government to vaccinate the elderly first. The cabinet now seems to be giving heed to those calls, announcing that the residents of nursing homes and 24-hour care facilities for people with mental disabilities will be vaccinated ahead of schedule, starting next week. Elderly people living at home and people with other health complaints will also be eligible for vaccination ahead of schedule, while healthy adults will have to wait up to four weeks longer for their turn.

In parliament on Tuesday, Ernst Kuipers of the Dutch acute care network LNAZ stressed that vaccinations must happen as quickly as possible. "Vaccinate now, do not leave vaccines behind. We need to speed up," he said. He and Jaap van Dissel of public health institute RIVM raised concerns about the highly contagious B117 strain of the coronavirus, which is currently spreading in the United Kingdom despite the tight lockdown measures in the country.

Who can get vaccinated, and when?

Healthcare workers group 1: acute care

Initially, this was to include up to 30 thousand people who staff the country's intensive care units, coronavirus wards in hospitals, emergency rooms, and ambulance or air ambulance crews. Family physicians and their staff will be included in this group, beginning with those who work at the around-the-clock urgent care offices.

As of January 12, 38 thousand were vaccinated from this target group. This was because the hospitals managed to get six full vaccine doses per vial instead of five, and none of the vials were wasted due to logistics or delivery issues.

• When: Started January 6 through Early February
• Which vaccine: BioNTech/Pfizer
• Location: Mainly at hospitals and organized by their employer

Healthcare workers group 2: residential elder care

This includes 273 thousand people working in nursing homes or smaller residential facilities. About seven thousand of them were vaccinated in the first week, and the process was expected to quickly ramp up from January 15.

• When: Started January 6 through April 30
• Which vaccine: BioNTech/Pfizer at first, then AstraZeneca, CureVac, Janssen, or GSK/Sanofi when they are approved by the EMA
• Location: At a mass vaccination facility organized by the GGD

Care home residents group 1

This includes 155 thousand people who are either living in a nursing home, or who have an intellectual disability and live in another 24-hour care facility. The first 15 thousand of them were expected to be vaccinated between January 18-24. Earlier plans had this group vaccinated by the end of May, not the beginning of April.

• When: January 18 through Early April
• Which vaccine: BioNTech/Pfizer
• Location: At the care homes, provided by the doctor on staff

Care home residents group 2

This includes the other 77 thousand people who are either living in a nursing home, or who have an intellectual disability and live in other 24-hour care facilities. Earlier plans had this group vaccinated by the end of June, not the beginning of April.

• When: from Late January through early April
• Which vaccine: Moderna
• Location: At the care homes, provided by a general practitioner

Healthcare workers group 3: residential care

This includes 258 thousand people providing care to those with disabilities, and 204 thousand on-location nurses including home healthcare workers.

• When: February through April 30
• Which vaccine: BioNTech/Pfizer at first, then AstraZeneca, CureVac, Janssen, or GSK/Sanofi when they are approved by the EMA
• Location: At a mass vaccination facility organized by the GGD

Healthcare workers group 4: institutionalized care

This includes the 25 thousand people who provide care to psychiatric patients residing in an institution.

• When: from Mid-February through March 31
• Which vaccine: Moderna for some, AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi for everyone else
• Location: At the mental health facility, organized by their employer

Institutionalized care residents

This includes the 60 thousand psychiatric patients who reside in an institution.

• When: from Mid-February through Mid-May
• Which vaccine: Moderna for about half, then AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi
• Location: At the mental health facility provided by the medical team on staff

Adults living at home, older than 60, non-ambulatory

This includes the non-ambulatory people from the age of 60 who are not capable of visiting a facility outside of their locality. They will be vaccinated from oldest to youngest. There are 4.3 million people in the Netherlands above the age of 60.

• When: From Mid-February through July 31
• Which vaccine: Moderna
• Location: Organized by their general practitioner either at their office, or during a house call

Adults living at home, older than 60, ambulatory

There are millions of people from the age of 60 who are living at home, are mobile and capable of visiting a location that is outside of their locality. They will be vaccinated from oldest to youngest. There are 4.3 million people in the Netherlands above the age of 60. There is currently no distinction for those in this group who have a medical condition that makes them more likely to require acute care if they acquire Covid-19.

• When: From Mid-February through July 31
• Which vaccine: BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, then also AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi
• Location: At a mass vaccination facility organized by the GGD or provided by their general practitioner at their office

Adults younger than 60: Medically vulnerable

An estimated 1.8 million people living in the Netherlands are from 18 up to 60 years of age, and have a medical condition that makes them more likely to need acute care if they acquire Covid-19.

• When: From Mid-February through May 31
• Which vaccine: AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi
• Location: Organized by their general practitioner

Healthcare workers group 5: All other workers

This includes the healthcare workers who do not qualify to receive a vaccination earlier either because of their age, medical history, or their specific field of care. An estimated 630 thousand people fall into this category, based on data from the CBS.

• When: From April 1 through July 31
• Which vaccine: Moderna for some, AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi for everyone else
• Location: Organized by their employer at an institution or general practitioner's office

Adults younger than 60; Not medically vulnerable

This includes the remaining 7.1 million adults in the Netherlands who reside at home, and who do not have a medical condition that makes them more likely to need acute care if they acquire Covid-19. They also do not fall into any of the categories above. They will be vaccinated from oldest to youngest

• When: From May through September 30
• Which vaccine: AstraZeneca, CureVac, Johnson & Johnson, or GSK/Sanofi
• Location: At either a GGD location, or at the office of their general practitioner

When is the Netherlands planning on taking delivery of different vaccines?

The Netherlands expects to take delivery of 69 million coronavirus vaccine doses by the end of March 2022. Delivery began with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in December 2020, when the country received its first 165 thousand doses. The Moderna vaccine was the second to be approved, though the Netherlands rejected an additional allocation of about two million doses at the end of the year.

This was because the country doubled its purchase of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and expects the European Medicines Agency to approve products from AstraZeneca at the end of January. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the Johnson & Johnson candidate developed at Janssen Vaccines in Leiden was also progressing towards a green light.

All vaccines are likely to require two doses. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was initially tested as a single-dose product.

Where are the GGD mass vaccination sites located?

The GGD municipal health service is divided into 25 different regions. At the start of the coronavirus vaccination process, there will be one mass vaccination center available in each of the regions except Zeeland, where there will be two.

Vaccination sites already open:

• Amsterdam-Amstelland: RAI convention center
• Drenthe: TT Circuit Assen
• Haaglanden: Cars Jeans Stadium in The Hague
• Hart voor Brabant: Former Jumbo distribution center on De Amert in Veghel
• Rotterdam-Rijmond: Rotterdam The Hague Airport in Rotterdam
• Utrecht: Expo exhibition center in Houten

Vaccination sites to open by January 15:

• Brabant, West: Amphia on Langendijk in Breda
• Brabant-Zuidoost: Sportcentrum Eindhoven
• Flevoland: A commercial building on Schroefstraat in Lelystad
• Fryslân: De Keltenhal van het WTC Expo in Leeuwarden
• Gelderland-Midden: Papendal sports center
• Gelderland, Noord en Oost: Mheenpark sports hall in Apeldorn
• Gelderland-Zuid: A facility on Havenweg in Wijchen
• Gooi & Vechtstreek: Koninklijke Visio on Amersfoorstestraatweg in Huizen
• Groningen: MartiniPlaza Groningen
• Hollands-Midden: Events and Convention Center at Holiday Inn in Leiden
• Hollands Noorden: Evenemententerrein on Olympiaweg in Alkmaar
• IJsselland: IJsselhallen in Zwolle
• Kennemerland: Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer
• Limburg-Noord: Kazerneterrein former military barracks site in Blerick, Venlo
• Limburg, Zuid: XL-testlocatie, P6 parking area at the MECC in Maastricht
• Twente: P3 parking area at the University of Twente in Enschede
• Zaanstreek-Waterland: Sportcomplex De Beuk in Purmerend
• Zeeland: Zeelandhallen in Goes
• Zeeland: ZorgSaam hospital in Terneuzen
• Zuid-Holland Zuid: Sporthal Deetos in Dordrecht