GPs annoyed by changes in government's vaccination plan

The Dutch association for general practitioners LHV is annoyed by changes made to the government's coronavirus vaccination plans. Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health agreed with the LHV that GPs in acute care will be vaccinated against Covid-19 in January, but now he's going back on that promise, the association said to BNR.

The LHV was told that the initial delivery of the Moderna vaccines was too small, and they therefore no longer have priority, the association said. "The hope was the GPs could be vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. But Moderna will only come with 13 thousand vaccines in January. That is far too little to be able to vaccinate the GPs, even if you don't vaccinate the GPs' staff," LHV chairman Ella Kalsbeek said to the broadcaster.

According to Kalsbeek, such a setback was taken into account when De Jonge and the LHV agreed that acute care GPs would be vaccinated in January. "We would then look at the alternatives in mid-January. The alternative is the Pfizer vaccine, of which 150 thousand come in very week. But the GPs only need 15 thousand," Kalsbeek said. But De Jonge does not want to give Pfizer vaccines to GPs, she said.

On Wednesday, the government announced changes to its coronavirus vaccination strategy. The residents of nursing homes and 24-hour care facilities for people with mental disabilities will be vaccinated ahead of schedule, starting next week. Elderly people living at home and people with other health complaints will also be eligible for vaccination ahead of schedule, while healthy adults will have to wait up to four weeks longer for their turn.