1. Once a vaccine is available, how long does it take to work?
Those who are vaccinated are not directly protected. “It takes two weeks until you are fully protected”, says immunologist Ger Rijks, affiliated with the Elisabeth TweeSteden hospital. Its operation differs per person. “It depends, among other things, on the functioning of your immune system.”
Professor of vaccinology Ben van der Zeijst prefers to keep a period of one month before the vaccine offers full protection after administration.
In the most favorable scenario for scaling down the measures, everyone in the Netherlands should be vaccinated. “If everyone is vaccinated, then you are in a safe haven and you can let go of the measures after the vaccine has taken effect, say two weeks,” says Rijkers.
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2. How many people need to be vaccinated to really get the virus under control?
“The 70 percent of the Dutch should be vaccinated,” says Van der Zeijst. “Then the vulnerable are sufficiently protected by the people who have been vaccinated so as not to contract the virus.”
If the vaccination coverage is lower, the virus cannot be optimally controlled. “If 50 percent of society gets vaccinated, you run the risk of getting outbreaks anyway.”
Immunologist Rijkers also thinks 70 percent is an important lower limit. “I’d rather be a little higher.”
A poll by RTL Nieuws and Jinek earlier this week shows that 66 percent want to be vaccinated if there is a vaccine. In addition, the difference between the age groups is large.
Among the youngest group of respondents, 53 percent answered this question with yes, which increases to 62 percent of the 35-49 year olds, 71 percent of the 50-65 year olds and 79 percent of the over-65s.
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3. How long does a large-scale vaccination in the Netherlands take?
According to experts, everything is related to the number of doses that become available for the Netherlands. “But it can be done quickly”, says Van der Zeijst, previously responsible for vaccine programs at the RIVM.
“After the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001, there was the fear that terrorists would use smallpox as a bioweapon. Then we made a plan to vaccinate the whole of society within a week. A week is short, of course, but there are the past has also been mass vaccinations. ” Incidentally, the massive vaccination against the smallpox virus never took place.
If there are enough vaccines for everyone in the Netherlands, vaccination can be done quite quickly. Rijkers: “If necessary, it is possible. In the past, Ahoy in Rotterdam was used to vaccinate young people against meningococcus. In India, 5 million people were once vaccinated in one day. So it is possible.”
However, if the number of doses is limited and specific groups are given priority (such as the elderly and care workers) then the vaccination period will of course take longer.
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4. Can we let go of the measures if there is a vaccine?
This question cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. “If everyone who qualifies for it has been vaccinated, you can let the measures lapse two weeks later,” Rijkers thinks. Van der Zeijst agrees with him, but the condition is that 70 percent of the population is vaccinated.
And that is where the crux lies. Some will consciously choose not to be vaccinated. Others await the first round of vaccination. Rijkers: “When that group is large, the period that it is still difficult can take longer. The people who have doubts can indeed make it difficult.”
If only 40 percent of society wants to be vaccinated, you cannot immediately let go of the measures. “Then it can indeed take a long time”, says Van der Zeijst. “At a certain point you can say: freedom, joy. You have the option to get vaccinated, if you don’t, also good. But now we are going to release a number of things.”
According to Van der Zeijst, studies are currently being conducted to map out the willingness to vaccinate. “I understand there is a fear of not getting vaccinated.”
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5. Why can it take a year and a half to get rid of the virus?
Apart from the question whether enough people are being vaccinated, another factor is that it is not clear to what extent a single vaccination is sufficient. “You may need two vaccinations,” says Van der Zeijst. Alternatively, the vaccine may need to be given repeatedly, just like with the flu shot.
While some vaccines show promise, they could still fail at the finish line because they provide insufficient protection or lead to side effects. “It seems very good to me that the cabinet is working on a long-term strategy. The government does not want to create exaggerated expectations,” says Van der Zeijst.
He thinks that we will soon gain more insight into a realistic term. “We’ll know more about the vaccines in a month, but I don’t think you should sell the bear’s skin before it’s shot.”
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