According to immunologist Willem van Eden of Utrecht University, next autumn is the first logical moment for a new round of vaccinations against the corona virus. Since the virus is still quite circulating, a new vaccination at an earlier time doesn’t seem so sensible, he says.
On Friday it will be exactly two years since the first vaccination against the corona virus was administered in the Netherlands. It was in Veghel, where nursing home employee Sanna Elkadiri was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. The Netherlands was the last EU country to start vaccination. Since then, nearly 12.5 million people have received a first-round shot or two. Last fall, people could get a repeat vaccination. Just over 4 million people showed up for it.
Those repeated injections work best against the omikron variant of the virus, which is now mostly circulating. In general, vaccines protect particularly well against serious illnesses after virus infection. The omikron variant of corona is less pathogenic than the previous variants. As relatively large numbers of people are now contracting the coronavirus, there is quite a bit of herd immunity, partly ahead of last fall’s vaccination round. That’s why a new round of vaccinations this winter doesn’t make much sense, says Van Eden.
Significant
However, as the weather gets warmer, people are less likely to infect each other. Resistance to the virus among the population will then decrease, he explains. Next fall, the season when people become more susceptible to infectious diseases again, there could be another wave of cases. Then a new round of injections would make sense, says the immunologist.
Perhaps such a seasonal campaign is worthwhile every year, says Van Eden. “Comparable to older adults who get the flu shot every year.” So far, about a third of people who qualify for re-throw have actually had it. It’s not much, he thinks. Still, he thinks the injection round made sense. The hospitals are still very busy. If fewer people need hospital care because of a vaccination campaign, it has already been effective, says Van Eden.
From: ANP | Photo: ANP
