{"id":36945,"date":"2025-11-06T11:20:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T10:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nlmtd.com\/?post_type=cases&p=36945"},"modified":"2025-11-06T11:23:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T10:23:53","slug":"first-aid-for-exceptions-shifting-gears-during-the-covid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"cases","link":"https:\/\/nlmtd.com\/en\/cases\/first-aid-for-exceptions-shifting-gears-during-the-covid-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"First aid for exceptions: shifting gears during the COVID crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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First aid for exceptions: shifting gears during the COVID crisis<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPublic and Social domain<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the COVID pandemic, the GGDs were responsible for launching a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign in a very short period. The challenge was to vaccinate millions of Dutch people safely, quickly, and accessibly, all while keeping vulnerable groups with specific needs in focus.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Results<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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nlmtd developed an innovative approach that effectively organized the vaccination process for diverse audiences and changing circumstances, and scaled it up to ensure everyone had access to a vaccine.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Client<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The GGD is a network of 25 regional health departments responsible for public health and infectious disease control across the Netherlands.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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In short<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the GGDs faced a huge challenge: vaccinating millions of people amid ever-changing political conditions, new vaccines, and numerous target groups. nlmtd was brought in to improve the coordination of exceptions, organize processes, and streamline them. Through smart standardization, a multidisciplinary approach, and close collaboration with general practitioners, healthcare institutions, and ministries, a flexible yet strong system was developed under high pressure. This also ensured vulnerable groups, such as the homeless, undocumented, or disabled, gained access to vaccination. The result was a widely supported, accessible, and scalable vaccination campaign.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Supported regional GGDs<\/div>\t\t\t
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Pricks per week at peak times<\/div>\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tWhat mattered was that everyone - regardless of origin, immigration status, or disability - had the same chance at protection. We established a workable system for this under intense pressure.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t- Suzanne Nederlof (nlmtd)<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Challenge<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Vaccinating under unprecedented conditions<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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At the start of the pandemic, vaccination efforts in the Netherlands were handled by several groups, including general practitioners and hospitals. Once it was clear that the Pfizer vaccine could be widely used, the task was assigned to the GGDs: to establish the national vaccination campaign.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It quickly became clear that this would be a significant logistical and social operation. It was not only about scaling up but also about reaching all target groups: from the elderly, people with disabilities, migrant workers, and individuals without residence status to the large flu shot group of 1.7 million people. This required not only medical but also social and logistical customized solutions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Process: Finding order in chaos <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Phase 1: Identifying exceptions<\/strong><\/p>

nlmtd was brought in for project management on specific implementations and customization, such as new vaccines or targeting special groups. Increasingly, exceptions to the standard were being made. Vaccination processes were designed for large-scale delivery, but not for detailed nuances.<\/p>

To make that variation easier to handle, Jan, Suzanne, and their team developed an approach that systematically analyzed each target group. For example, they examined: \u00a0<\/p>