Covid-19, Netherlands: 10 million doses of Astrazeneca will remain unused

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April 26, 2021

Much of the 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ordered from the Netherlands will remain unused.

The head of the vaccination department of the Institute of Public Health, Jaap Van Delden, harshly criticized by Dutch doctors for his statements told the Dutch newspaper AD.

According to the association of family doctors, Van Delden's departure risks further undermining public confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine and damaging the vaccination campaign.

Holland, like other EU countries, has introduced restrictions on the use of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine, limiting its administration to the over 60s, due to the risk of very rare cases of thrombosis. After the decision of the health authorities, many Dutch people refused the vaccine. The Netherlands, with around 17 million inhabitants, has ordered a total of 11 million doses of AstraZeneca, using only 1.5 million so far. Van Delden assured that the country has sufficient doses of other vaccines.