Roughly 2.5 million Covid-19 boosters given so far

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said approximately 2.5 million booster shots had been administered. Around 16.4 percent of the population have now had the booster shot.

On Christmas Day, a new group of people could make an appointment for the booster shot. People born in 1971, 1972 and 1973 have been able to make an appointment online since 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Last week, more than 900,000 people received their booster shot. The week before, there were around 780,000 people.

The aim is to have all adults vaccinated before February 1. "The GGD has never disappointed us," De Jonge said.

Compared to other European countries, the Dutch booster campaign got off to a late start. In several other countries, including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and France, about one-third of the entire population has already had a booster shot.