A third of Netherlands adults have had a booster shot

Nearly one in three adults has received a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot according to data accurate through the end of Sunday. About 4.5 million people have received a booster jab, 32 percent of the total number of adults, and 26 percent of the total population, reported the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in weekly figures.

A week ago, the counter stood at just under 3 million shots, or 20.9 percent of all adults. The government wants most adults to have had a booster shot by the end of January. People who had coronavirus have to wait three months to get a booster shot, as do those who recently received their original vaccination shots.

An estimated 1.54 million booster shots were administered in the past week. In addition, almost 32,000 people received a first or second vaccine injection, the lowest number to date. About 1,000 people received an additional vaccination as part of their original course of vaccination because they have a severe immune disorder. They may not have built up enough protection against Covid-19 after their first injections.

It all adds up to a total of over 1.57 million shots administered in one week's time. That is the second highest number since the start of the vaccination campaign a year ago. In July, nearly 1.67 million people were vaccinated in a week.

The figures have not yet been broken down by age. It is not yet known how many older people, who may be more vulnerable to Covid-19, have had a booster shot.

About 11.9 million adults in the Netherlands were fully vaccinated in the first round against Covid-19, including the 4.5 million who had a booster shot, and 131,000 received an additional shot due to an immune disorder. That means that there are still 7.2 million adults who are eligible for a booster shot, but about 1.1 million people have recently had coronavirus, and several hundred thousand people who were given their last Covid jab too recently. 

That means there are about 6 million people eligible now for a booster shot. To be able to give all of them a jab before the end of January, the government's goal, approximately 1.5 million booster vaccinations must be given each week, similar to last week's injection rate.