It is important that vaccines work well, and offer protection against disease. At the same time, vaccines also need to be safe for your health. This page describes how COVID-19 vaccines work.

Why do some people become ill from the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 while others do not? Where do people contract the virus? This and other risk factors for COVID-19 are being investigated by RIVM in collaboration with the Netherlands Municipal Public Health Services and Medical Assistance in Accidents and Disasters (GGD-GHOR) in the CONTEST study.

SARS-CoV-2 pathogen surveillanceA virus changes constantly. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is also constantly changing slightly. RIVM is conducting laboratory research to see how the virus is changing and what this means for the spread of the virus in the Netherlands. This is known as pathogen surveillance. 

Are you professionally involved in the COVID-19 vaccination? This site provides information for professionals involved in the implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations and other interested professionals. 

At the start of the coronavirus epidemic in the Netherlands, there was a high incidence of COVID-19 in the eastern part of the province of Noord-Brabant. The affected area overlapped the region where cases of Q fever were common from 2007 to 2010. The geographical overlap was noted during the first wave of COVID-19. For that reason, RIVM investigated whether people who previously had Q fever had an increased risk of contracting COVID-19, and whether they had a more serious course of illness from COVID-19.