Recently, the Netherlands has been making fast progress with the national vaccination campaign, and according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) this momentum has had a positive impact on the country’s vaccination rate: the Netherlands now has the ninth-highest vaccination rate in the EU. 

55 percent of adults in the Netherlands have received at least one jab

Last week, the Netherlands reached a vaccination record, as approximately 1,67 million jabs were administered over the course of just seven days. And now, after an exceedingly slow start back at the beginning of the year, the Dutch government issues over 200.000 vaccination invitations every day.

These figures have a significant impact on the government’s vaccination campaign and the national vaccination rate. Last week’s data from the ECDC shows that 55,1 percent of the adult population has received at least one jab, placing the Netherlands in the top 10 for vaccination rates in the EU. 

As of Monday, June 14, almost 12,5 million jabs had taken place in the Netherlands. According to the ECDC, 28,7 percent of the adult population is already fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The countries with the lowest vaccination rate in the EU are Romania (28,3 percent) and Bulgaria (15,2 percent).

Dutch government, GGD, and RIVM hope to improve vaccine uptake

The GGD and the Dutch government are now making plans for the future to carry out additional jabs and further increase the vaccination uptake to 85 percent. The GGD has already launched their vaccine busses, which travel across the country visiting rural neighbourhoods as well as residential areas in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. 

The busses aim to educate the general population about the safety and importance of vaccines, offering a jab to anyone who wants one on the spot. The GGD plans to organise a national vaccination day later this summer, and hopes this programme will result in more vaccinations taking place.

In addition to this, the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) is looking into options for vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 18 in order to further curb the spread of coronavirus.