Netherlands begin vaccinations; last EU nation to do so

Nearly two weeks after most other European Union nations, the Netherlands on Wednesday began its COVID-19 vaccination program, with care home staff and frontline workers in hospitals first in line for the shot.Sanna Elkadiri, a nurse at a care home for people with dementia, was the first recipient of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mass vaccination centre in Veghel, 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of the capital, Amsterdam.

"Finally, after the period of ten months of the crisis, today with this moment we mark the beginning of the end of this health crisis," said Dutch Health Minster Hugo De Jonge, at the vaccination centre in Veghel.

The Dutch government has come under fierce criticism for the late start.Prime Minister Mark Rutte said authorities had focused preparations on the easy-to-handle vaccine made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which has not yet been cleared for use in the EU, rather than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.The Netherlands is in the midst of a five-week tough lockdown imposed when infection rates were spiking across the country.

In recent days, infection rates have been edging lower, but the country's public health institute said Tuesday it has not yet seen a clear effect of the lockdown on infection rates.

Nearly 12,000 people are confirmed to have died of COVID-19 in the Netherlands since the pandemic started, though the true number is higher because not all people who died with symptoms were tested.

(IMAGE CREDITS:AP)