The first children and adolescents in medical risk groups who were born between 1 January 2004 and 30 June 2009 can schedule a vaccination appointment with the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs) as of today. Their invitation will be sent by their GP. They will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from the GGD. The special code in the invitation can be used to schedule an appointment online or by telephone.
Vulnerable young people
The young people who will be invited for COVID-19 vaccination in this round are children and adolescents aged 12-17 years who are eligible for the annual seasonal flu jab, or young people with Down’s syndrome. In the next few weeks, they will receive an invitation through their GP, which they can use to schedule a vaccination appointment with the GGD. People in this group who live in a residential institution will be vaccinated in their residential facility starting this week. Young people with cancer will also receive an invitation shortly, and can be vaccinated from mid-July on in the Prinses Máxima Centrum in Utrecht. In total, between 60,000 and 100,000 children and adolescents are expected to be invited. Vaccination is always voluntary.
Vulnerable young people with obesity and young people who are eligible for vaccination because they live with a vulnerable household member will receive an invitation at a later point in time. That route is still being developed.
Advisory reports of the Health Council
The Health Council of the Netherlands previously advised vaccinating these young people because they have a higher risk of severe illness resulting from COVID-19 compared to healthy children, or because fear of infection still imposes significant limitations on their daily lives. Children aged 16-18 years in the medical high-risk groups were already invited earlier in the vaccination campaign.