The Dutch government was insufficiently prepared for the COVID pandemic, leaving care homes unprotected and undermining its own messages on masks, an inquiry found Wednesday.

The independent Dutch Safety Board said the government's lack of an overall plan meant it obsessed over fighting the virus and failed to consider the wider impact on society.

Authorities became fixated on hospitals while failing to protect the economy, education, culture and in particular nursing homes where a "silent disaster" was allowed to unfold, it said.

"There is a lot of room for improvement," said safety board chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, a former finance minister as he unveiled the 300-page report. "The Netherlands turned out to be vulnerable."

The Netherlands, with a population of 17 million, has reported 21,414 deaths and 5.8 million COVID infections since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. It has vaccinated 86.3% of adults.

The report singled out for criticism the head of the government's outbreak management team, infectious diseases expert Jaap van Dissel, for his position on the use of masks.

The Netherlands ordered the widespread use of masks far later than most other European countries, with van Dissel saying in 2020 that it was a "political" rather than a scientific choice.

The inquiry said van Dissel's remarks "undermined public trust in the government policy", and the fact that "he himself openly doubted (masks') usefulness did not help to maintain support".

The report is the first of three planned by the Dutch safety board and covers the period from the start of the pandemic to September 2020.

The Dutch government said on Tuesday that it will scrap most COVID measures by February 25 as it seeks a return to normal life.