Second Covid booster available for over-70s & vulnerable people next week

The Netherlands will begin inviting a portion of its population to get a second Covid-19 booster vaccine starting this weekend. The invitations will be sent to people over 70 years of age, residents of care homes, adults with Down syndrome, and adults with severe immune disorders, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.

The new round of injections will begin on Monday. The decision is in line with the advice issued by the Dutch Health Council last week. The approved groups of people will get their invitations about three months after their most recent vaccine jab, Health Minister Ernst Kuipers wrote in a letter to the Tweede Kamer.

"The repeat injection ensures that the protection against the virus is maintained. The advice from the Health Council is to only give this repeat shot to people at the greatest risk of serious illness or even death from coronavirus," the ministry said in a statement.

Kuipers also said that the Health Council will issue advice about offering another vaccine shot to more groups during the second half of March.

People who are over 70 and living in their own home will get vaccinated at a GGD facility, unless they are not ambulatory. In that case, they will need to coordinate with their general physician. Adults with Down syndrome will also work with their GP to schedule the appointment, but will also be able to get the injection at the GGD or at a care institution. Others will work with the medical specialist already treating them for immune disorders.

Kuipers also said the ministry will stop referring to follow-up shots as "booster shots," and will instead call them either "herhaalprik tegen corona" or "coronaprik." The first translates to "repeat jab against corona," and the second as simply, "corona jab."