People born in 2004 can make Covid vaccination appointment today

Anyone living in the Netherlands who was born in 2004 will get their first chance to schedule their Covid-19 vaccination shots starting on Friday. It is the first group of children not in a medical risk category to get the call since Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced the country would open the vaccination process to anyone from 12 to 17 years of age.

They will be given the vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech, the only Covid vaccine approved for use in Europe by people under 18 years old. The group will be allowed to make an appointment using the online booking system starting at 10 a.m. Appointments may also be made over the phone.

Those invited will also receive a letter and a health questionnaire by mail at their registered address. Appointments can be scheduled before the letter arrives.

There are approximately 199 thousand people born in 2004, out of about 1.1 million people living in the country between the ages of 12 and 17. Experts have said side effects are typically mild, which can include inflammation of the heart muscle.

Anyone aged 16 and up can decide on their own if they want to be vaccinated against the disease. Those younger than 16 need to make the decision with their parents, the RIVM said.

Over 16 million vaccine doses have been administered in the Netherlands to date. About 43 percent of adults are considered fully vaccinated.