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Belgium is once again at the epicenter of the pandemic. On Friday, it was announced that all non-essential goods stores would be closed and a partial ban on visiting family and friends was introduced. Schools are closed for two weeks. A nightly curfew has already been introduced, with bars and restaurants closed since October.
New restrictions are introduced as of Sunday, the month of validity, and then revised. Residents of each house are allowed a visit once a week, those who live one by one will be able to meet another person.
“We will take all possible measures, but it may be too late,” said Julien Compere, director of the Central University Hospital of Liège (the region most affected by the pandemic). “It’s a matter of days before we reach the limit of patient care.”
According to Johns Hopkins University, 11 million NATO is the third most populous country in the world, home to the main institutions of the European Union, and is one of the richest countries in the world, with one of the most developed health systems in Europe.
Why Belgium has such a high incidence is still being debated. One of the reasons is considered to be population density and difficulties in managing the nine regions. During the peak of the former coronavirus pandemic in the spring, Belgium claimed that the high mortality of the population was the result of different methods of recording deaths.
In Belgium, the number of hospital admissions doubles every eight days. There is a risk that there will be a shortage of places in the country’s intensive care units by the end of next week, on October 21. 525 patients lay in intensive care units, and on October 30. their number jumped to 1,057.
So far, the epidemic is unlikely to end. In the last two weeks, 1,609 infections have been recorded in 100,000 people in Belgium. Liège has exceeded 3,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In the Brussels-Capital region, more than 2% have been infected with coronavirus in the last two weeks. population.
This Liège hospital occupies 45 of the 49 places in the intensive care unit. This week, the hospital transferred 2 patients daily to the Flemish region in the north of the country, Compere said.
According to him, the hospital’s operating room has been temporarily converted into an intensive care unit with 10 additional beds. If the number of patients continues, the hospital director is considering transporting them to Germany.
Lack of health workers
There is a shortage of doctors and nurses in Belgium for the treatment of coronavirus infections, as many doctors are in quarantine. Doctors and nurses who are infected with coronavirus but are not experiencing symptoms are asked to work in Liège.
Another option is to temporarily employ currently unemployed restaurant and bar workers. The possibility of training soldiers and refugees is also being considered.
The need for COVID-19 testing exceeds the capacity of laboratories, making it impossible to assess the level of implementation of the measures introduced by the government. Due to the virus, the incubation period leads people to see a doctor.
The number of people infected in the last seven days could double the official data, says epidemiologist Steven van Gucht.
“Our country stopped testing asymptomatic people on October 21 because the maximum laboratory capacity was reached. We have to be very careful, ”he said.
In European countries, although there is no wish to do more damage to the economy, stricter restrictions are being reintroduced. Starting Monday, Germany will introduce a one-month partial quarantine, and in France on Friday, October 30. a second quarantine was introduced.
Last Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that despite the country’s relatively successful efforts to combat the virus, healthcare professionals are struggling to cope with the current burden.
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