Doctors and the Lung Alliance called for RSV vaccination for vulnerable older adults, particularly those with chronic lung diseases such as COPD and severe asthma. They said these patients regularly become seriously ill during winter and may require emergency care, hospital admission or intensive care. At Ikazia Hospital in Rotterdam, about 80 such patients reportedly sought emergency care for RSV each winter; over three years, patients with chronic lung disease spent 1,093 days in the hospital, including 91 days in intensive care.

RSV vaccines are available, but reimbursement for vulnerable older adults remains under discussion. Zorginstituut Nederland previously said there was insufficient evidence specifically for this group, while the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium reimburse vaccination for some older or vulnerable people. Ikazia Hospital had its insurer cover vaccinations for severe lung patients; the hospital said admissions among vaccinated patients fell from 95 in 2025 to 34 so far afterward. Zorginstituut Nederland says it will issue new advice at the beginning of 2027 on three RSV vaccines for people at increased risk of serious illness, taking newer evidence into account.