The Dutch health council has revised its guidelines for coronavirus vaccines, saying children up to the age of 11 should only be vaccinated if they have major health issues which would put them at risk of developing MIS-C, a serious but rare inflammatory disease.

In such cases, vaccination can offer them temporary protection, the government advisory group said.

The number of children at risk of MIS-C is very limited and 95% of the under-12s have already had a coronavirus infection, the health council said. In addition MIS-C is very rare in a subsequent infection and the risk is even smaller with the Omikron variant.

This makes it unnecessary to invite all children over the age of five to be vaccinated, the council said.

Boosters

Repeat vaccinations are currently available to everyone aged 12 and over as long as they were not vaccinated or infected with coronavirus within a three month period.

According to the most recent figures from the public health agency RIVM, some 60% of the over 60s are currently fully vaccinated as are 28% of the over-18s.

Coronavirus hospitalisations fell 15% in the first week of January although there was a slight increase in the number of people admitted to an intensive care ward, the RIVM said on Tuesday.

The proportion of coronavirus particles found in waste water also fell 14% in the last week of December and a further 40% in the first few days of 2023.