Ten percent of vaccinated do not want third jab

In the Netherlands, nearly a third of all adults have had the Covid-19 booster shot, but according to the Outbreak Management Team, around ten percent of people vaccinated against Covid-19 do not want a booster shot.

"People need to know what the advantages of a third shot are," Ben van der Zeijnst, vaccinologist at the Leiden UMC told RTL Nieuws. "You hear people ask: 'When will it stop?' and 'I feel like a pin cushion.'"

"We are in lockdown to win time to give people booster shots. If you don't vaccinate now, you do not use the time wisely," vaccinologist Anke Huckriede from the University of Groningen said.

Although the fast-spreading Omicron variant makes people less sick than the Delta variant, the OMT fears that it could still lead to a rise in hospitalization figures due to many infected people.

"The booster significantly increases your number of antibodies against Omicron," Huckriede said.

Van der Zeijst agreed that a booster shot increases immunity against the coronavirus. "Thanks to the booster, protection increases again up to 90 percent. Especially for vulnerable groups, it is crucial to get the third jab." The vaccinologist, however, pointed out that the efficiency of the booster decreases with time. Ten weeks after the shot was administered, protection falls to 50 percent. "That doesn't look great. Ultimately, we may need a specific Omicron vaccine," Van der Zeijst said. Moderna and Pfizer have already begun working on a vaccine specifically against the Omicron variant.

Since Tuesday, all adults in the Netherlands can register to get a booster shot.