When and how will I be vaccinated?

There finally seems to be light at the end of the dark tunnel that is the corona pandemic. The Netherlands commenced vaccinating its citizens in the beginning of January this year. As expected, and as it should be, the first priority has been given to the healthcare workers and, within that category, the people who were directly involved in caring for COVID patients.

By the third week of February over a million people were vaccinated in the Netherlands and by mid-March, the number is expected to have doubled. For now, the focus is on care workers, the elderly (with the first priority being mobile residents from 65 years of age and then non-mobile people in the same age group), as well as vulnerable people, including residents of nursing homes and people with intellectual disability and mental health problems, living in care facilities. However, from this month onwards, anyone between the age group of 18-60 with an underlying health issue such as diabetes, heart problems, kidney problems or immune disorders can also expect to get their invitation. As for the rest of us, we will have to wait till May for our invitation to the corona vaccination party.

An interesting fact to be considered is that not the same vaccine is given to everyone. The Netherlands is currently using three different types of corona vaccine approved by the European Union. There is Comirnaty developed by Pfizer/BioNTech which requires two doses; the second injection is delivered three weeks after the first one. This provides the maximum protection (94.7%) against the corona virus, from seven days after receiving the second dose. Then there is the Moderna vaccine, also consisting of two injections with a gap of twenty-eight days between the two doses. This gives 94.1% protection, fourteen days after receiving the second shot. The third, the one that most of us are likely to receive, is AstraZeneca. Two doses are required with this vaccine as well. It’s a bit easier to handle logistically, as the second dose can be delivered anytime between 4 to 12 weeks after the first. On the other hand, it only offers 60% efficacy.

The Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines are reserved for the most vulnerable groups: people who work directly with COVID-19 patients, general practitioners and the elderly, as seems only logical. With the variety of vaccines available, one might think people should be able to choose which vaccine they will receive, but this is not the case. The vaccines have a limited supply and have been carefully assigned to various groups, with the most vulnerable people receiving the vaccines with the highest efficacy.

As common with most vaccinations, people may experience side effects such as fatigue, headache, fever, cold shivers, muscle ache, redness and soreness at the site of injection. However, these symptoms should be mild and disappear in a few days. Before you start celebrating and congratulating those who are vaccinated, it will be wise to remember that none of these vaccines provides 100% immunity against the corona virus and even less to any mutated strains. Nevertheless, with more and more people fully vaccinated, the government will be able to relax some of the current corona rules and regulations, but there will still be a need for caution as long as herd immunity is not reached.

The thought of spending another Dutch spring and possibly summer indoors with a curfew, unable to visits our favorite shops, restaurants and theme parks, or plan any vacations, might seem daunting. Some may curse the slow pace of the vaccination process. Still, we might want to see the glass half full: a steady pace is more prudent when delivering a new vaccine, with limited supply and research to back it, to the mass population.

As much as we are tired of hearing it, we need to be just a little more patient, and hold on just a little longer. If things go as planned, we still might be able to enjoy the late summer and the Dutch landscape is equally stunning in the fall. With all of us being a little considerate of our collective health, we will soon be able to return to life as we knew it.

Written by Priyanka Sharma

Plan to build one million houses in ten years

A coalition of 34 organizations in the Dutch housing and construction industry has put forward an Action Agenda for the building of one million homes within ten years to tackle the housing shortage.

The Netherlands’ alarming housing shortage can be attributed to a number of factors, including a shortage of construction workers, increasing population, tourism and immigration. In an effort to remedy this shortage and meet the growing housing demand, a coalition of developers, construction companies, investors, home owners and lobby groups – a total of 34 organizations – has come up with a plan to build one million new homes in the Netherlands over the course of the next ten years. The Action Agenda was formulated in collaboration with municipalities and provinces across the country to address the dire shortage of more than 330,000 houses. Eric van der Burg, Alderman in charge of Urban Development in Amsterdam, underscores this positive step forward with public assurances regarding the housing crisis: “In the past it used to be every man for himself, but now we are looking at how we can spread the burden of housing development between all the stakeholders in Holland Metropole.” Alderman for Housing in Amsterdam Laurens Ivens also sees the Action Agenda presented by the coalition as a “helping hand for the next Minister of Housing” in the new cabinet, and hopes that the new Minister will “ensure that sufficient money is made available to implement the plan”.

The construction of one million homes in ten years would mean an increase from the 71,000 homes that are currently being built every year to 100,000 homes built annually. The coalition envisages that the new cabinet’s involvement, including its provision of financial support, improved investment conditions and new policy measures would help steer the long-term project in the right direction. Proposed policy measures are the ending of tax paid by housing corporations, running into of billions of euros annually, which is deemed to limit the money available for new construction. As part of the Action Agenda, the plan for next decade not only involves new construction, but also the transformation of empty offices into homes – a move expected to reduce the housing shortage to below 2 per cent.

The coalition wants the Action Agenda to form the backbone of the next government strategy for housing development. “There are so many people waiting for a home in the Netherlands,” said Martin van Rijn, chairman of the housing company lobby group Aedes. According to him, the participants are “worried about neglected neighbourhoods and people who may need a different type of help from what they are offered.” Van Rijn also considers the current housing problems as urgent, and considers the agenda as a forwardthinking guide as to what can be done in the next decade. as a result of increasing immigration and population growth – factors which continue to take a toll on the market.

The increasing demand and short supply of houses are themselves a major contributing factor for the increase in house prices and rents across the Netherlands, typically in heavily-populated cities such as Amsterdam, where each quarter of 2020 saw an increase in house prices from the quarter before. The prices continued to rise in January 2021 by an average of 9.3%, according to national statistics agency CBS. As a result of this, the Action Agenda includes plans to make and keep housing affordable, while limiting the rent price increase.

Lex Brans, Director of Marketing and Housing Development for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, affirmed that “affordability of housing is a top priority”. This, according to Brans, is because cities should be comprised of a mix of all types of people, regardless of their income levels.

While it is not yet known how many houses will be built in the various regions of the country, the Action Agenda acknowledges that municipalities will need to play a key role in speeding up housing construction. For example, they will have to allocate sufficient land at affordable prices, while also making time-consuming permit procedures more efficient.