Dutch people who consider getting a booster shot through their GP so that they can still go on winter sports to Austria should leave the so-called booster shot to vulnerable patients. The Brandevoort GP practice in Brabant makes this appeal in a statement on the website. There are rumors on social media that the GP’s booster campaign can be used to save a holiday. “We regret these messages,” the general practitioner said.
From December 25, Dutch people who have not yet received a booster shot will have to quarantine for ten days after arrival in Austria. A major setback for many Dutch people who were soon planning to go on winter sports and have not yet had their turn for the booster shot.
A number of them try to save the holiday at all costs, for example by leaving in a hurry by car or by looking for a booster abroad or at the doctor. They are not happy with this at the Brandevoort GP practice, according to a message on the site.
‘We regret this’
‘We have just heard a story that is doing the rounds on various social media channels. Our booster campaign can be used for a booster shot so that the skiing holiday in Austria can continue. Let it be clear that this is not the case,” Brandevoort said in a statement. The practice says it has volunteered to give booster shots to help the GGD vaccinate the most vulnerable patients in Helmond as quickly as possible.
‘That is why we receive limited vaccines for use in this target group. At the moment it is still exciting whether we will actually get the number we need on paper.” The practice is aimed directly at winter sports enthusiasts whose holidays have fallen to pieces today. “If you are healthy and plan to take a booster with you for a holiday in Austria, you will ensure a shortage of boosters for the most vulnerable patients in this district. We regret these reports and hope that you will not put your own interests first over the health of your fellow man.’
GPs and booster shot
The practice will check for the rest of the week whether patients are registered and whether they are actually eligible for a booster vaccine. “Obviously, this leads to longer waiting times and inconvenience,” Brandevoort concluded. A spokesperson for the National Association of General Practitioners confirms that the campaign is indeed not intended for Dutch people who want to go on winter sports during the holidays. “The aim of the general practitioners is to keep patients healthy, the campaign is in no way intended for Dutch people who bend over backwards to be able to go on holiday.”
Now that the omikron variant of the coronavirus is on the rise, several general practitioners are starting to give their own patients a booster shot. This also includes people who are too young to be invited by the RIVM. As far as is known, this is always done with the approval and support of the regional GGD.
In the southeast of Brabant, ‘various general practitioners’, including Brandevoort, are allowed to help with the booster shots. In their own practice they can give a boost to their own patients who are eligible for the flu shot. Other general practitioners will start working at the vaccination locations.
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Regional GGD
The National Association of General Practitioners (LHV) says that general practitioners should always coordinate their injections with the regional GGD. ,, Under no circumstances can it be done without the GGDs. They have the vaccines, you can’t do what you want with them. The GGDs also do the registrations. That is important, otherwise you will have the hassle that someone’s QR code does not work, which must be prevented.”
Crowds on prullenbakvaccin.nl by people who want booster
Due to the high demand for booster vaccines, pullenbakvaccin.nl is very busy. Via that website, people who want to be vaccinated can see whether a practice in their area has vaccine doses left. On Wednesday evening, for example, a hundred people were at the door of a general practitioner in The Hague within ten minutes for a leftover corona vaccine, says Marlies Schijven, professor of surgery at the Amsterdam UMC and one of the initiators of the website.
A group of doctors created the website at the start of the vaccination campaign to prevent leftover corona vaccines from being thrown away at the end of the day. The demand for so-called ‘trash bin vaccines’ has been increasing again for less than a week. The GGD Amsterdam, among others, sees that the remaining vaccines are in great demand, according to Schijven.
According to Schijven, people want a booster shot as soon as possible for various reasons. “It concerns, for example, vulnerable people who are not yet of the age that they already receive a booster. Or people with a vulnerable partner. People who want to travel or just want to be protected are also looking for a booster shot.
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