In the first half of 2021, The Netherlands will have 21.7 million coronavirus vaccines available, according to a letter from Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge.
During the first quarter of the year, De Jonge says the country expects to receive 7.7 million vaccines, and in the second quarter, 14 million.
First quarter
Of the vaccines supplied in the first quarter, 4.5 million will come from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. BioNTech and Pfizer will supply another 2.2 million doses in the first three months of the year, and Moderna and Curevac will make up the last one million doses.
Because each of the vaccines requires two injections, the Netherlands will be able to vaccinate 3.85 million people in the first quarter.
This is, of course, under the assumption that the drugs will be approved by the European Medicines Authority (EMA). For Pfizer and BioNTech, the assessment is scheduled for December 29, for Moderna, it will be January 12. The dates are not yet known for the other vaccines.
The remainder of the year
In the second quarter, the 14 million doses will come from the same variety of drug companies, in addition to the Dutch company, Janssen, based in Leiden.
A total of 20.6 million doses are anticipated to arrive in the Netherlands in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Ministry of Health anticipates receiving 13.5 million more.
Finally, in the first quarter of 2022, 2.2 million vaccines are expected to arrive.
First to receive
Care workers in nursing homes will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by other employees working in care institutions and residents of nursing homes and institutions for people with intellectual disabilities.
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Feature Image: European People’s Party/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0