Millions of Dutch Residents to Receive COVID-19 Booster Invitations as Virologist Warns of Seasonal Return
The Hague, Netherlands – Millions of people in the Netherlands, particularly those aged 60 and over and individuals within designated risk groups, will soon receive invitations for a COVID-19 booster vaccination, health officials announced today. The renewed vaccination campaign comes as leading virologist Ab Osterhaus warns that the coronavirus, like influenza, returns annually and can pose a critically important health risk.
Osterhaus, speaking on NPO 1’s Goedemorgen Nederland, emphasized the importance of vaccination, especially for those also receiving an influenza vaccine.”The coronavirus is not gone, it comes back every year,” he stated. “Certainly for people who are also vaccinated against Influenza,it is indeed very crucial that they also get vaccinated against Corona.” invitations will primarily be sent to individuals 60+, but will also include others identified as high-risk, mirroring influenza risk groups.
While current COVID-19 cases are not surging, Osterhaus explained the booster campaign is a preventative measure anticipating a peak during the upcoming winter season. He clarified that the vaccines currently in use are updated to target circulating viral strains. “It is indeed not that there is a huge amount of coronation cases at the moment, but it is really as a precaution,” he said.
Osterhaus cautioned that COVID-19 can still cause serious illness, particularly within vulnerable populations. “You can still get pretty sick,” he noted, adding that while frequently enough compared to the flu, COVID-19 can be “really very dangerous for people in the risk groups.”
Currently, no additional preventative measures like social distancing or avoiding handshakes are deemed necessary, though osterhaus advises anyone experiencing symptoms to get tested. “If you are sick, you have to take the necessary precautions. You can be tested. That can certainly be useful. Those testing are not hundred percent always always, but it can give you an impression if you have the coronavirus.”
