The Dutch health council has said that the over 60s, pregnant women, and people with a medical condition should be offered a booster Covid shot each year.

Some four million people would be offered the vaccination, the government advisory body said in its recommendation, roughly the same number which qualifies for the annual flu jab.

Three years after the Covid outbreak almost the entire Dutch population has built up a degree of immunity because of vaccination, infection, or both, the council said, but older people and people with underlying health problems are still at risk of hospitalisation or death from the virus.

The health council said small Covid outbreaks could still occur, making an annual booster shot necessary for the vulnerable and care workers.

The vaccination would start this autumn to providing protection in winter in case a Covid outbreak coincides with a flu outbreak.

It is unclear how the virus will develop and it is advisable to review the vaccination programme annually, taking different scenarios into account, the health council said.