Ski trip, anyone? ⛷ The chairman of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), Jaap van Dissel, doesn’t believe that a lockdown or curfew will be necessary this winter due to the high Dutch vaccination rate.
Van Dissel believes that the lockdown measures like shop closures, curfews, or school closures that we saw in 2020 will not be expected this winter.
According to the chairman, the coronavirus situation in the Netherlands has improved a lot, as 87% of Dutch adults have received their first vaccination. 💉
“We are in a fundamentally different situation than last year.” Van Dissel told AD. “Back then we had no vaccines. So in all reality, I see no reason to recommend such drastic measures.”
Rising infections
But what about the rising number of infections and hospital admissions? Well, Van Dissel just says that the relationship between the two is harder to estimate this year and “depends on a number of things.”
He basically thinks that since most adults are vaccinated, a lot of the infections now are affecting younger individuals — putting less people in hospital because they’re younger and healthier. However, unvaccinated people, (about 13% of the Dutch population) could change the tide.
Meh about the booster shot
Van Dissel also says that booster shots are only meant for people in nursing homes, and for the rest of the population it’s not yet necessary.
He thinks that taking a booster shot every six months can only prevent mild symptoms, which he doesn’t find too important. 🤔
Free in spring 2022
Van Dissel says that the Netherlands may be mostly free from the virus in spring of 2022, but that it is still up in the air. 🤷♂️
“That depends on a lot of factors, such as the duration of the immunity, the possible emergence of variants, imports from other countries…” said Van Dissel.
Do you think we’ll have a lockdown this winter? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Feature Image: Uitzending Gemist/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0
I certainly don’t believe in their ability to predict the future. Just follow the science and daily statistics and take care of yourselves and others in sensible ways.