People aged 60 years and older who have not yet been vaccinated will receive another invitation letter for COVID-19 vaccination. By doing so, RIVM, the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) aim to encourage people who have not yet been vaccinated to go get their vaccinations. They can make an appointment with the GGD online or by phone, in the same way as in recent months. People aged 60-64 years who have not yet been vaccinated do not have to wait for the invitation letter. As of 08:00 today, they can call the GGD to make an appointment by phone.
People aged 90 years and up can expect their repeat invitations in the post this week. From 11 June on, people born in the following years will receive their repeat invitation, from old to young. The repeat invitation for people aged 60-64 will be delivered at the end of June. However, they can already schedule an appointment online or by phone from 08:00 on Saturday 5 June 08:00. In total, nearly 970,000 people will receive a repeat invitation in the next few weeks. All these people will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine from the GGD.
Now that most people over 60 and most people in a medical high-risk group or medical risk group have had a chance to receive their first vaccine dose, the vaccination operation is entering a new phase. There is room to send repeat invitations so as many people as possible can be protected against COVID-19 infection as quickly as possible. Right now, at least 87% of people over 65 have received at least one vaccination.
Second vaccination with AstraZeneca vaccine
People who already received their first vaccination with AstraZeneca will receive their second vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine as planned. Research shows that this is the safest and most effective approach. It is also in line with the advisory opinion of the Health Council of the Netherlands to use the AstraZeneca vaccine for everyone aged 60 years and older.
Two invitations
Not all vaccinations have been registered in CIMS, the national registration system. As a result, people who have already been vaccinated may still receive a repeat invitation. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and RIVM, as well as GP practices and care institutions, are currently working hard to ensure that every vaccination is accurately registered in the CIMS national registration system. People who have already been vaccinated can throw away the additional invitation.
The GGDs have opened 140 vaccination sites where people can go to get vaccinated.