The Dutch health council is recommending that the single dose Janssen vaccine be first given to people who are most vulnerable to coronavirus – namely the over 60s and people at medical risk.

Once they have been vaccinated, the vaccine can be used for other groups, the health council said on Wednesday.

‘The vaccine has an efficacy of 66% and prevents 85% of serious infections,’ the health council said. ‘It is safe and side effects have been shown to disappear in two days.’

The Netherlands has ordered 11.3 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was developed in Leiden. Some three million are due to be delivered in the next few months.

The vaccine, the fourth to come on the market so far, was approved by the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency last week.

The vaccination programme for the over 60s has been disrupted by the decision to halt use of the AstraZeneca vaccine pending further safety checks.