vaccination

Now that the Dutch COVID-19 vaccination programme is in full swing, we asked a few staff members who got the jab already - including Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng - what the experience was like, why it was important for them to do it and the level of service received.

After a wobbly start with its vaccination programme back in January, the Netherlands is now making rapid progress on that front - the country's COVID-19 infection rate is the lowest it has been since September last year.

The Dutch government is confident that, when the new academic year starts in September, current safety measures around COVID-19, such as wearing a mask and keeping a distance of 1.5m will be a thing of the past.

Everyone in the Netherlands who wants to be vaccinated will get their first shot by at least 1 July, according to the Dutch government's calculations. This includes international students who are currently residing in the country. The announcement was made by the Dutch health minister, Hugo de Jonge, earlier this week. Provided the vaccines are delivered on schedule, De Jonge added.

Now that the Netherlands has started its vaccination programme, what does that mean for education at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in the coming weeks and in the long-term? A recent survey among students and staff has shown that the majority of them are in favour of taking the vaccine.