News 21 december 2021
Fully vaccinated individuals are almost as vulnerable to Omikron infection as unvaccinated individuals. That appears from Danish research. The mutation of the new variant is so effective that it cleverly bypasses previously built up immunity. The same research shows that people who have had a booster jab are much less likely to test positive for Omikron.
Unlike the Netherlands, for example, in Denmark it is accurately recorded which variant is responsible for a corona infection. The Danish data from South Africa already contradicted that Omikron has a milder course of disease: in Denmark the new variant seems to be slightly more frequent to hospital admissions to suffer. It should be noted that the population composition of Denmark is very different from that of South Africa.
In the Netherlands, Omikron currently accounts for about 10 to 15 percent of the infections. RIVM boss Jaap van Dissel has announced this. He also expects that ‘within a few weeks’ the new variant will be dominant. Even if the complaints are indeed milder than with the Delta variant, Omikron can put even more pressure on the healthcare system, simply because a more contagious variant results in more sick people.
RIVM hopes that 90 percent of hospital admissions can be prevented with a booster shot. The Dutch booster campaign has started with little hope in that regard. Not only was the Netherlands the last to start in Europe, the GGD is also struggling with a variety of problems. From overloaded telephone lines that prevent people from making an appointment, until another Tuesday morning hefty malfunction as a result of which the people in line for a shot could not be helped either. There is a significant backlog at RIVM in sending invitation letters, which has arisen as a result of the acceleration of the booster campaign. As a result, many people over 60 who are entitled to an injection before Christmas do not receive an invitation letter. RIVM has announced that it does not intend to increase their pace.
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