From June 23, all unvaccinated adults in the Netherlands will be able to call the GGD and book an appointment to receive the Janssen coronavirus vaccine.
Earlier this month, the Dutch government decided that anyone who had been offered the Janssen vaccine could choose to re-book a vaccination slot and instead receive either Pfizer or Moderna. Furthermore, it was announced that everyone under the age of 40 would be offered a vaccine other than Janssen.
However, at the time, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge emphasised that the vaccine was safe and effective, and said he would look into opportunities for still using it to help protect people in the Netherlands from COVID-19.
Therefore, in order to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible and limit vaccine waste, the government and the GGD are setting up a hotline that will go live on June 23 and allow everyone over the age of 18 to book a slot to receive the Janssen vaccine.
“We no longer offer the Janssen vaccine as standard in the vaccination campaign,” De Jonge said. “But I do want to offer people the freedom to opt for the Janssen vaccine. Because it's safe and effective, and you're done in one go.”
According to the GGD, the national Janssen supply is relatively limited; only 70.000 doses are available to distribute this week, with another 125.000 available next week. The GGD hopes that the first Janssen vaccinations will take place by the end of the week.