Weekly figures show 26% rise in 1st Covid vaccinations, 52% rise in 2nd doses

Complete vaccination statistics in the Netherlands showed that a total of 1,004,757 people in the country have received at least their first shot of a vaccine against Covid-19, data through February 28 showed. That figure went up by 26 percent in a week.

With the country currently vaccinating only adults aged 18 and up, Dutch healthcare providers have given a jab to 7.0 percent of the eligible population of roughly 14.4 million people. About 5.7 percent of the entire population has been partially vaccinated.

Some 331,671 people have received their second shots, the RIVM said. That figure went up by 52 percent compared to a report released by the agency a week earlier. About 2.3 percent of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which equates to about 1.9 percent of the entire population.

"The vaccination coverage of elderly people living at home has increased," the RIVM said. It said that of those living at home in their nineties, 61 percent have had a first injection. About 68 percent of those from 85-89 and 42 percent of those from 80-84 have also received at least a first dose.

Data from the agency showed that the country had received 2,153,320 vaccine doses in total through the end of February, including shipments last week of over 200 thousand from Pfizer, 148,000 from AstraZeneca, and 72 thousand from Moderna. Just over 62 percent of all vaccine doses received since the end of December have been used on a patient. Details about spillage were not included in the report, though in its daily estimates the RIVM assumes five percent of doses are lost for various reasons.

That would mean the Netherlands is still storing just over 700 thousand vaccine doses.

Over 215 thousand vaccine doses from AstraZeneca which were to be delivered this week and next will be delayed until later in March. This could have the biggest immediate impact on the number of people from 60-64 who are vaccinated this month, as well as some people who are at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is also used to protect some healthcare workers, and residents of some care institutions who are below the age of 65.

There are three vaccines being used in the European Union to fight the coronavirus disease. The products from Moderna and AstraZeneca are approved for use in adults 18 and over, while Pfizer's injection is approved for people as young as 16. All three require two staggered shots for maximum protection.