Maasstad Hospital starts vaccinating visitors free of charge and without an appointment

Starting today, visitors can get vaccinated against the Coronavirus for free and without an appointment in the Mastad Hospital Lounge. And so the hospital in southern Rotterdam is trying to do something about the low vaccination rate. In neighborhoods like Charlois and Feijenoord, less than 50 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

A booth with posters and flyers indicating the vaccination point in the hospital’s central hall. From 10:00 am, patients, visitors, local residents and staff can go there with questions or to get an injection. “People can go there on their own to ask questions and get information,” says Charlotte van Noord, a physician at Mastad Hospital. “And for anyone who wants to choose a vaccine, we think it’s important that it be a choice.” At the point of injection, the Janssen vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine are injected. With the latter, a second vaccination is immediately scheduled.

One-to-one interpretation

People can only go to the point of vaccination for the first or second shot. Getting a third shot is not possible. “Obviously, if you are fully vaccinated, you will also receive the QR code that has been requested on all sorts of occasions since last Saturday,” Van Nord says. With this initiative, the hospital hopes to increase vaccination coverage. “Every day a large group of people come into the hospital, such as outpatients and visitors to people who have been admitted. In addition, we also try to reach people through the media to let them know that we have this point and that everyone is welcome,” says Van Nord.

The Maasstad campaign is not the first initiative to promote increased vaccination coverage in Rotterdam. For the past two months, doctors and internists have already been present at the Afrikaandermarkt for information and vaccination without an appointment. “We’ve seen that there is enthusiasm for it. With an individual explanation, the questions can still be removed.” The puncture point at Maasstad Hospital is open from Monday 27 September to Friday 8 October, seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.