COVID-19 vaccination: invitations being sent to risk groups From 27 August 2024 on, the first people will receive an invitation for COVID-19 vaccination. RIVM will send the invitations to people aged 60 years and older.
Fewer whooping cough antibodies if vaccination occurs before 24th week of pregnancy Babies develop fewer antibodies against pertussis (whooping cough) if the mother is given the pertussis vaccine before the 24th week of pregnancy. These findings are from a multi-year study carried out by RIVM among preterm and full-term babies and their mothers.
New COVID-19 vaccination round for risk groups this autumn The new COVID-19 vaccination round will start on 16 September 2024. For people who are at higher risk, the COVID-19 vaccination offers more effective protection against hospital admission or death due to COVID-19.
New research portal for people with post-COVID Starting today, people with post-COVID can sign up to take part in scientific research. They can register through the national portal at postcovidonderzoek.nl, which is part of the Post-COVID Network Netherlands.
Well-being should be considered from the start when formulating policy during pandemic, health emergency or other crisis Monitoring well-being from the outset and throughout the duration of a pandemic, health emergency or other crisis provides helpful input in making policy choices.
Study on the effectiveness of COVID-19 measures in the Netherlands The measures implemented in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 crisis were effective against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is the outcome of a study conducted by RIVM.
PhD research shows: ‘repeating vaccination promotes whooping cough resistance’ Repeating vaccination promotes whooping cough resistance. This is evidenced by the PhD research conducted by Pauline Versteegen. She researched post-vaccination immunity to whooping cough in age groups from 7 to 70 years. On Tuesday 28 May, she was awarded her doctoral degree at Utrecht University.
Air pollution increases risk of infection and severity of illness from COVID-19 People who live in areas with poor air quality are more likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the symptoms of COVID-19 are more severe, leading to more hospitalisations and deaths. This is the outcome of a study conducted by RIVM, Utrecht University, Wageningen University & Research and the Netherlands Municipal Public Health Services and Medical Assistance in Accidents and Disasters.
In 2023 more Dutch people play sports on a weekly basis In 2023, 56% of the Dutch population aged four and over played sports at least once a week. This figure marks an increase from 53% in 2022. Notably, the percentage of individuals with physical disabilities who played sports weekly saw a significant rise, from 23% to 29%.
Obesity rate tripled over past 40 years In 2023, 16% of people in the Netherlands aged 20 and over were classified as obese (with a Body Mass Index (BMI(Body Mass Index)) of 30 or above) – more than three times as much as in 1981, the first year of record.