People born in 1981 can schedule Covid-19 vaccines; Reminders for 60+

Residents of the Netherlands born in 1981 were invited on Tuesday to schedule their Covid-19 vaccination shots. The 210 thousand people in that group will receive either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

Everyone in their forties has now been invited to book a vaccination appointment, and the new invitations mean its a start for people in their thirties. Appointments can be booked online right away. Those who want to book by telephone are asked to wait until they receive an invitation in the mail. Letters will be sent out on Friday.

Nearly 9.4 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been put to use in the Netherlands, according to an estimate from the RIVM.

The RIVM also confirmed that those from 60 to 64 who previously refused an AstraZeneca vaccine out of concern for serious side effects, like blood clots with a low platelet count. They will all be able to get a vaccine from either Pfizer or Moderna. They will be able to make their appointments beginning on Saturday.

Additionally, everyone over 60 who has not yet been vaccinated will get a reminder message, beginning with people in their nineties and older. "Research by the RIVM shows that 98% of people over 70 have been vaccinated or are willing to do so. That share is 85% among 55 to 70-year-olds," the RIVM stated.

The RIVM has more space to accommodate those who either refused a vaccine or did not schedule an appointment. "Some may have been ill when the call came in, others were still undecided or it simply didn't come through. We want to give all these people the opportunity to be vaccinated, just like the many peers who preceded them," Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a statement.

De Jonge said last week he no longer thought all adults will get access to a first shot by the beginning of July, with some having to wait until the middle of the month. He said he expects all adults who want to be vaccinated to be fully protected come September.