Covid, the Netherlands has the vaccine but it will not start before January 8 – Corriere.it

In a European Union that launched the vaccination campaign against Covid on Sunday, December 27, Holland one of the rare voices of the choir. Although the first shipment of 10,000 Pfizer vaccines has already reached Dutch territory, the government has decided that it will not start the national campaign until January 8. At the top of the list, as in many other EU countries, there will be nursing home operators.

During the Covid pandemic, the Dutch executive’s response was criticized: many wondered how it was possible that one of the richest and best-organized countries in Europe could not do more to contain coronavirus infections. .

In the Netherlands, according to counts by Johns Hopkins University, there have been 765,000 cases of contagion. The deaths were more than 11,000, out of a population of 17 million.

Two weeks ago, The Netherlands has decreed a second blockade that will last until January 19. As the New York Times reported, Hugo de Jonge, the Dutch health minister, said last week that vaccinating the country’s 17 million citizens takes time and must be done carefully ensure the prevention of more deaths and ensure broad coverage.

Many Dutch, skeptical after the government’s promises to contain the pandemic failed, wonder if the vaccination plan is also in danger of failing.

In a television address before the second shutdown, which limited holiday gatherings to just three guests per family and forced non-essential stores to close, the prime minister Mark Rutte urged citizens to accept the restrictions, explaining that Every day, on average, 60 people die from Covid-19 and there are 9,000 new infections: a whole soccer stadium.

As he spoke, protesters outside his office chanted slogans against the closure. However, many Dutch people ignored requests to maintain social distance: even once the block came into effect, the streets were full of people.