Four questions about booster vaccination.
Speaker: R. Grootens, Senior Policy Advisor at RIVM.

R. GROOTENS: We use Moderna and Pfizer for the booster jab. These are mRNA vaccines. Both vaccines are very effective in preventing serious illness and ICU admission.

VISUAL: Four questions about booster vaccination.
VISUAL: Which vaccines are used for booster vaccinations?

R. GROOTENS: We use mRNA vaccines for booster vaccinations. It could be either Moderna or Pfizer. One of these will be used regardless of which vaccine you had in the first series. So you might receive a dose of Pfizer now, even if you received Moderna or AstraZeneca or Janssen before.

VISUAL: Why use combined vaccinations?

R. GROOTENS: When you get the booster vaccination, you may receive a different vaccine than you had for your first single-dose vaccine or your first two vaccinations. This was not a casual decision; it was researched extensively. Research showed that it is safe to combine the vaccines. No additional side-effects were observed. And it is effective. For that reason, the Health Council has recommended combined vaccination for the booster jab. This allows us to be more flexible in implementing the vaccination programme.

VISUAL: Is there a different between the vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer?

R. GROOTENS: We use Moderna and Pfizer for the booster jab. These are mRNA vaccines. Both vaccines are very effective in preventing serious illness and ICU admission. There is one difference: we use a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine. That is recommended by research. But we use a half-dose of the Moderna vaccine. This dosage was researched. A smaller dose is often use for booster vaccinations. Research showed that a half-dose of Moderna was very effective in boosting your immune system.

VISUAL: Would you like to know more? https://www.rivm.nl/en/covid-19-vaccination
An RIVM production 2021