Starting in the first week of May, people under 60 who are at risk for medical reasons, i.e. the group eligible for the seasonal flu jab, will be invited for COVID-19 vaccination. They can use the invitation to schedule a vaccination appointment with the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs). People in this group will be vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. This involves about 1 million people.
This group are eligible for the seasonal flu jab from their GP every year due to a medical indication. That is why GPs will also be selecting the group who will be invited for COVID-19 vaccination. These invitations will be sent in phases. The people in this group are prioritised because they have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This includes people with:
- abnormalities and functional disorders of the respiratory tract and lungs;
- chronic heart disease;
- diabetes mellitus;
- chronic renal insufficiency;
- an immune deficiency or treatment with medicines that affect the immune system (immunosuppressants) leading to reduced resistance to respiratory tract infections.
People in the medical high-risk groups already received their invitations for COVID-19 vaccination previously. Nearly all of them have been vaccinated by now.
Schedule for the vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) determines the order in which groups are vaccinated. The advisory reports of the Health Council of the Netherlands are used as guidance. The start date for vaccination of the various target groups depends on vaccine availability. For the latest order of vaccination, please visit Government.nl.