Health minister Hugo de Jonge expects the Netherlands to roll out its mass vaccination programme in early January, if everything goes according to plan.

‘The vaccine is now so close and so we are on the eve of a new phase in this crisis,’ De Jonge said. ‘It is now up to the European Medicines Agency to do its job. We will make sure we are ready as soon as we get the green light.’

The early January date is the most optimistic scenario and safety must come first, De Jonge said.

The EMA said earlier on Tuesday that both BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna had made formal applications to be given market access.

EMA said said if its experts have received enough data from the two companies, the agency would complete its reviews for the Pfizer vaccine by 29 December and the Moderna vaccine by 12 January, at the latest.

Elderly first

The national health council said last month that people over the age of 60 and those with serious health problems such as heart failure and diabetes should be the first to be given a vaccination against coronavirus.

In addition, front-line healthcare workers should also be given priority. However, given that the initial supply of vaccine may be small, the frail elderly with additional health issues should be top of the list, the health council said.

In order to reach some level of group immunity, 60% to 70% of the population would have to agree to be vaccinated. But research indicates that around half the population will not.