Virus-devastated Belgium forced to shift attention



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Of: TT

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Medical worker at a Covid testing station in Antwerp on Tuesday.

Photo: Virginia Mayo / AP / T

Medical worker at a Covid testing station in Antwerp on Tuesday.

All care that is not deemed urgent will be postponed in Belgium so that the country can handle a sharp increase in the number of covid-19 cases.

That message was delivered by Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on Tuesday, a few days after he compared the spread of the infection to a tsunami.

The country recorded 816 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents last week, the highest number in Europe after the Czech Republic. A total of 10,443 people have died from the disease in Belgium, with 11 million inhabitants.

The number of people in intensive care has recently risen steadily and was 446 on Tuesday.

Noted virologist Yves Van Laethem tells La Derniere Heure that Belgium may need to reintroduce strict restrictions in the form of closure if it fails to slow down development.

As of Monday, all cafes and restaurants were forced to close.

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