Over one million Covid boosters administered in the Netherlands so far

Just over a million residents of the Netherlands have now received a Covid-19 booster jab, the RIVM said on Tuesday. The booster shot total rose by about 470,000 just in the past week to roughly 1,047,600, according to a summary of data released by the institute.

About 80 percent of last week's total were administered at a GGD vaccination site, equal to about 375,000. The branches of the GGD municipal health services have given 630,600 booster jabs since the booster campaign started on November 18.

Another 417,000 people were given a booster jab at a hospital or residential healthcare institution during the last month. Those were given to healthcare workers, paramedics, and the residents of those facilities, like nursing homes.

Last week, just about 18,500 people received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose, the lowest weekly total since January. That includes about a thousand people who received the Janssen Vaccine, still considered to be a one-dose vaccine. About 54,000 others were given a second dose of any Covid-19 vaccine last week.

Between October 6 and December 8, healthcare workers gave an additional vaccination dose to 121,500 people with a serious immune disorder. The data has not been updated since last Wednesday due to an IT issue at the GGD. These shots are not considered boosters, but part of the normal course of vaccination. Just under 1.17 million boosters or additional shots have been administered in total.

The Netherlands kicked off its campaign late compared to the rest of the European Union, with the EMA giving its approval on October 4. The Netherlands ranks in the bottom 10 percent among the 30 countries in the European Economic Area for booster shots.