THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (PA) – Nearly two weeks after most other EU countries, the Netherlands began its COVID-19 vaccination program on Wednesday, with nursing home staff and front-line hospital workers, first in line for shooting .
Sanna Elkadiri, a nurse at a nursing home for people with dementia, was the first to receive a photo of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mass vaccination center in Veghel, 120 kilometers southeast of the capital Amsterdam. .
“This is a very important moment for me, as a person working in the care sector. You want to provide care knowing that your customers are safe, ”said Elkadiri. “It’s not possible without the vaccine, but from now on I can do it.”
The Dutch government has been sharply criticized for the late onset of vaccinations. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told lawmakers in a debate on Tuesday that authorities were focusing on preparations for the easy-to-handle vaccine by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which has not yet been authorized for use in the EU, and not the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge did not comment on the criticism as he spoke before Elkadiri wrapped the left sleeve of his purple nurse’s uniform to receive the first blow. Instead, he looked forward to a future with the virus under control.
“Finally, after 10 months of crisis, today we are beginning to end this crisis,” De Jonge said. But he warned that “it will be some time before we have all the misery behind us. “
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage before use, is the only injection that has been approved so far by the European Medicines Agency. On Wednesday, the agency considered approving another coronavirus vaccine, one developed by Moderna.
“I am very disappointed that we are two weeks behind other countries,” Rutte told the Dutch parliament.
The country’s public health institute said about 300,000 caregivers and hospital staff are the first in line to fire. Two more large-scale vaccination centers are set to open on Friday and by the end of next week, 25 should be open nationwide, the institute said.
The health authorities intend to be able to vaccinate a maximum of 66,000 workers per week as of January 18.
In a tweet, thanking the staff involved in the launch, Dutch King Willem-Alexander called the start of vaccinations “a turning point that offers hope for a way out of this crisis.”
The Netherlands is in the middle of a five-week deadlock imposed when infection rates have risen across the country. In recent days, infection rates have fallen, but the country’s public health institute said on Tuesday that the blockade has not yet had a clear effect on infection rates.
Nearly 12,000 people are confirmed to have died of COVID-19 in the Netherlands since the pandemic began, although the true number is higher because not all people who have died of symptoms have been tested.
Andre Rouvoet, president of the umbrella organization of local health authorities, welcomed the first vaccinations, which were broadcast live on Dutch television.
“It is symbolic of the hundreds of thousands – millions – of vaccinations that will be given in the Netherlands in the coming months,” he said.
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