Hoogeveen in Drenthe will have a vaccination centre from April 12, with Meppel likely to follow
By Thomas Ansell
The Netherlands lags behind most of the Western world in its vaccination programme, despite one of AstraZeneca’s largest vaccine plants being located in Leiden. According to the Dutch government’s Coronadashboard, just over 2.1 million vaccines have been given out thus far (remember that some require a second shot); with around 30,000 people per day getting their injection each day.
But, as the NOS reports, the Ministry of Health expects a near-doubling of this in the next week or two, with 57,000 vaccinations per day expected. However, with the Dutch population standing at around 17 million people, and most people needing two shots for full protection, Minister de Jonge’s recent statement that by July 1 every adult in the Netherlands should have had their first vaccine is looking somewhat tight.
In the North, more and more vaccine centra are being opened by the GGD Groningen, GGD Drenthe, and GGD Fryslân (who are responsible for most of the vaccine rollout). The DvhN reports that from Monday 12 April a new centre will have opened in Hoogeveen, with Meppel to follow depending on vaccine supply levels. A vaccination campaign has already been up and running in Emmen for four weeks, with the Assen centre having been open since January.
The Dutch government is using a combination of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine (which makes up most of those given out thus far), the Moderna vaccine for those with medical sensitivities, and the AstraZeneca vaccine. Over the coming weeks more and more of the shots given will be AstraZeneca, which will contribute to a projected total of 5 million vaccine deliveries in the Netherlands by the end of April.
Image via Gustavo Fring on Pexels.
