This month, the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) announced they were carrying out an extensive study into the long-term effectiveness of the various coronavirus vaccines available in the Netherlands.
The RIVM’s Corona Vaccination Study (VASCO) aims to investigate the extent to which the vaccines offer long-term protection against COVID-19 in all age groups, and which vaccines are the most effective. The study will also look into whether or not these vaccines provide any protection against different coronavirus variants.
VASCO will follow the lives of 50.000 18 to 35-year-olds in the Netherlands over the coming five years. The safety and effectiveness of all the vaccines were investigated before they were released onto the market, but limited research was conducted into the effects of the vaccines in risk groups. Therefore, both healthy members of the population and people with pre-existing medical conditions are invited to take part in the study.
Due to the fact that both the virus and vaccines are (relatively) new, not much is known about how long the vaccine’s protection against coronavirus lasts. Medical experts have, however, suggested that countries across the world may have to start vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable again in the autumn.