Conor Stewart
Research expert covering health & pharmaceuticals in the UK & Europe
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Netherlands - statistics & facts
The Netherlands reported its first COVID-19 case on February 27, 2020. Since then, over 8.3 million cases have been reported in the Netherlands. According to the number of cases per region (Veiligheidsregio), Utrecht has been most severely affected by the virus followed by Rotterdam-Rijnmond. Over the course of the pandemic in the Netherlands, the so-called ‘second wave’ over the winter of 2020/21 was more severe than the initial surge of cases in spring 2020. However, the winter of 2021/22 saw daily reported cases reach a new remarkable new record as the Omicron variant swept through the Netherlands.
European comparisons
Compared to other European countries, the Netherlands has had a relatively high incidence of COVID-19 cases possibly owed to the high population density in the country. As of July 25, 2022, the Netherlands had recorded over 47,714 cases per 100,000 population. Although, the incidence of deaths as a result of COVID-19 in the Netherlands is low compared to many countries in Europe, and half the rate in neighboring Belgium. In the Netherlands, around 129 deaths per 100,000 population have been recorded.Vaccination campaign
In the Netherlands, 206 doses of a COVID vaccine have been administered per 100 population, as of July 24, 2022. Initially, the rollout of the COVID vaccine in the Netherlands, and many other EU countries, was slow due to supply problems. Furthermore, use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was paused for a while due to blood clot fears. However, by summer 2021, the Netherlands and the EU in general, ‘caught up’ with the level of vaccination in the United Kingdom, which was the early leader in Europe in vaccines administered early in 2021. As of July 21, 2022, over 80 percent of adults in the Netherlands were classed as fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while around 66 percent of adults had received a COVID-19 booster vaccine.
