This has been announced by outgoing corona minister Hugo de Jonge.
Omicron variant
People aged 60 and older were given priority with their booster shot because they run a higher risk of corona infection. In addition, they were the first to be vaccinated at the beginning of this year, so their defenses may have weakened earlier. As of today, people under the age of 60 can also make an appointment.
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According to experts, due to the emergence of the omikron variant, it is necessary to give the population a ‘booster shot’, as De Jonge calls it, as soon as possible.
The under-60s who were able to make an appointment earlier were able to do so because they work in healthcare. That group was also given priority. Adults with, for example, Down syndrome could also receive their booster shot earlier.
The vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are used for the booster shot, even if people previously received AstraZeneca or Janssen.
No booster rush
Initially, the Netherlands was not in such a hurry with the booster. While they had already started the third jab in Great Britain in September and Belgium in October, the Netherlands took it easy. The first boosters were only given in our country in November.
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In mid-December, De Jonge accelerated things on the basis of a recommendation from the Health Council: everyone should be able to have had the third shot before the end of January. March was initially targeted.
According to experts, a third shot against omikron helps, at least in the short term. Two weeks after giving a booster, the vaccine effectiveness is 80 percent against contracting the infection. It is unclear how long the booster’s effect lasts.
See also: Booster helps, but does it also get corona out of the world?
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