At the technical briefing in the House of Representatives, RIVM Director Van Dissel also drew criticism that the models used by RIVM are incorrect. “You want us to base the final assumptions on realistic numbers, but I want to make it clear that it’s complex and that it depends on the country you’re looking at.”
He explained that RIVM uses data from different countries and that assumptions must be made on this basis. For example, assumptions are made about the efficacy of the vaccine, the promotion campaign and hospital admission. He explained that the data on hospital admissions was obtained mainly from other countries, but the data differ.
For example, he noted that based on Spanish data, you can conclude that hospital admissions after contracting the coronavirus are not that bad. However, hospital admissions in the United States are increasing. And in Israel, a country that quickly launched a consolidation campaign, a similar picture is seen of the United States. “If you boost too fast, you print the delta variable, but it’s too early to use an omicron,” van Diesel explained to Israeli numbers.
“Models are only as good as the assumptions you make in them, but the assumptions vary from country to country. There are options in the models, and I’m trying to explain them.”
