The Health Council consists of various medical experts who work together to find scientific consensus on an issue. The government usually adopts the recommendations.
The health gain for vaccinated young people is too small to justify an extra shot, it can be read in the latest advice. Omikron infection is usually mild in this age group, especially if they have already been vaccinated.
In the period 1 July 2021 to 22 January 2022, 93 adolescents in the Netherlands were hospitalized with a corona infection. The majority of them were infected with the delta variant, a relatively low number given that the virus circulates quickly in this age group. In the last two weeks of January alone, 6 to 8 percent of 12-17 year olds became infected in the Netherlands.
The risk of hospitalization with the omikron variant, which is now dominant, is 40 to 60 percent lower. The risk that a vaccinated adolescent will develop the rare inflammatory disease MIS-C due to corona is also nil. The advice: ‘As far as is known, no vaccinated adolescents with MIS-C have been hospitalized in the Netherlands.’
Severe immune disorder
In addition, vaccination carries a small risk of the rare side effect of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that usually heals spontaneously or can be treated well with anti-inflammatories.
However, the booster shot should be possible for adolescents with a severe immune disorder. The Health Council believes that such a booster should also be made available to young people who want a booster shot to protect vulnerable family members.
The advice of the Health Council creates a difficult situation for young people who want to travel to a country where a booster shot is mandatory. ‘We are aware of this’, says Marianne Geleijnse, vice-chairman of the Health Council. But whether a booster shot should be made available to young people who want to travel to such a country, she believes ‘is a political, not a medical choice. We’ll leave that to the minister.’
European countries differ in their policies on booster vaccinations for 12 to 17 year olds. Since mid-January, the German vaccination commission STIKO has recommended a booster shot for everyone aged 12 and older, and for vulnerable children from 5 years old.
France also advises young people to take the booster, but that extra shot is not necessary for this age group to keep the vaccination pass valid for access to cafes, for example.
In Spain, children aged 12 to 17 do not receive a booster shot. According to the government, it is better to focus on giving the booster shot to adults and vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years. Of the latter group, 55 percent have already received their first dose.
A QR code has never been necessary to get in anywhere in Spain in some regions, including Madrid. Other regions that did work with a QR code, such as the Basque Country and Catalonia, have now abolished it.
With the cooperation of correspondents Eline Huisman (France), Dion Mebius (Spain) and Remco Andersen (Germany).