With the first coronavirus vaccinations having taken place on January 6, many may be wondering how long it’ll be before they receive their invitation to book a vaccination appointment with the GGD. According to the Netherlands’ vaccination strategy, these are the dates you can start looking forward to. 

The Netherlands’ coronavirus vaccination strategy

On January 4, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge presented his initial vaccination strategy to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer), but since then the plan has changed slightly. Nevertheless, the Dutch government still hopes to have everyone at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by early July.

Priority for healthcare workers

The government chose to prioritise all healthcare workers, with people working in nursing homes and similar care facilities being the first to receive the vaccine.

• From January 6: Acute care workers (i.e. ICU nurses, paramedics), nursing home employees, disabled care and small-scale housing workers, district nursing and (social) care workers.
• From January 18: Care home residents, people with an intellectual disability residing in an institution.
• From January 22: GPs, residents of small-scale care / nursing homes
• From mid-February: Psychiatric hospital patients, psychiatric hospital workers, clinical rehab centre workers.
• From March: Privately employed residential care workers.
• From April: All other healthcare workers.
• From mid-May: All other healthcare workers with a pre-existing medical condition.

The elderly and the vulnerable 

Those who don't work in the healthcare sector have already started to be vaccinated against coronavirus. All groups are vaccinated from old to young, but vaccination within the 1956 to 1960 age group is organised per region.

• From January 25: People born before 1936 who live at home.
• From February 5: People born between 1937 and 1941 who live at home, people aged 18 to 60 with a pre-existing medical condition (people with morbid obesity or Down syndrome) 
• From March 6: People born between 1942 and 1946, or 1956 and 1957 who live at home. 
• From March 24: People aged 18 to 60 with a pre-existing medical condition (people with severe kidney failure and severe congenital immune deficiency, people with a neurological condition that affects breathing). 
• From April 6: People born between 1947 and 1955, or 1958 and 1960 who live at home.
• From May: All other people aged 18 to 60 with a pre-existing medical condition.

Vaccinating the population of the Netherlands over summer 2021

According to the government's strategy, anyone who doesn’t fall under one of the above groups (i.e. someone between the ages of 18 and 60 with no pre-existing medical condition and who doesn’t work in the healthcare sector) will start to be vaccinated in May. 

• From May: People born between 1961 and 1971 who live at home. 
• From mid-June: People born between 1972 and 1981 who live at home. 
• From the end of June: People born between 1982 and 2003 who live at home.

Which vaccine will you receive?

The majority of the population will be eligible to receive any of the vaccines the Netherlands has signed a contract for, but it will depend on which vaccines become available when.

Where you’re vaccinated will also depend on which group you belong to. People who are vulnerable or those who are immobile will either be vaccinated at home or at their local GP. Many healthcare workers will be vaccinated at their place of work (for example at a hospital), and people between the ages of 18 and 60 without a medical condition will be vaccinated at a central location set up by the GGD or by their GP.

For more information about the coronavirus vaccine and the Dutch vaccination strategy, visit the government's website.