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Direct cross-country comparisons of the number of confirmed and deceased cases during the crown crisis are, as DN previously reported, very difficult to make. This is no less important because reporting systems differ. For example, several countries only count deaths that occurred in hospitals and not those that occurred in different types of nursing homes.
Belgian authorities have repeatedly addressed the problem with comparisons, even after the White House and President Donald Trump showed in April a diagram showing the number of deaths in terms of population size. Then it was crowned by Belgium, which currently has a death toll of 66 people per 100,000 inhabitants.
In mid-April, Donald Trump presented a table of the number of deaths relative to population size.
Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP
In an interview with the BBC, the country’s authorities against covid-19 again discuss why such comparisons become “wrong.” Virologist Steven van Gucht, spokesman for the group leading the country’s efforts during the epidemic, says the figures have been “abused” for political purposes.
– It’s about showing how well you do it, and that’s wrong. Actually, we report in a more accurate way, “says Steven van Gucht to the BBC.
The clearest difference in Belgium, deaths in nursing homes where covid-19 disease was not confirmed by sampling, but are only suspected of having killed the deceased, are included in the death count calculations. This is the case in 84 percent (more than 3,500 people) of the deaths that occurred in nursing homes and that are related to covid-19.
– It is based on an evaluation carried out by the medically responsible doctor, which generally takes into account whether the coronavirus has been detected in the same nursing home. For example, if you have one or two confirmed cases in the accommodation, then you have ten deaths the same week in the same accommodation where people had similar symptoms, Steven Steven Gucht tells the BBC.
More than half of the more than 7,700 covid-19 deaths reported in Belgium are from people who have been living in nursing homes. According to the BBC, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmés recently mentioned that there is a risk that Belgium will exaggerate the number of cases by way of calculation, but Steven van Gucht tells the public service company that the actual number of deaths It may be even greater than what is known so far.
Belgium has recently He prioritized sampling all employees and residents of the country’s nursing home, and then found that about ten percent carried the coronavirus. Government officials have admitted that protection in the nursing home should have been better from the beginning, but that there was no adequate protective equipment then.
In the country, restrictions have been strict, with shops and workplaces closed. The population has only had the opportunity to move outdoors to do basic shopping, or exercise for an hour each day with close family members. Gradually, starting Monday, the country should gradually begin to ease the measures in four steps. Schools are slated to open May 18, but with a maximum of ten students per class.
Minister Philippe De Backer, who directs the country’s efforts during the crown crisis, tells the BBC that he is generally impressed with the way the population has acted. He also wonders if he believes that the country’s tough measures have been more effective than the strategies chosen in the Netherlands and Sweden, where free movement has been less restricted.
– There are great differences between countries, for example, with population density, how people move and behave. Swedes are known for having easy to follow instructions from the government. I think sometimes it is a little more difficult in Belgium, says Philippe De Backer and continues:
– The conclusions that can be drawn will be specific to different places. It is very difficult in current circumstances, at least today, to compare countries. It is more interesting to compare regions that have comparable densities in population, mobility, and age structures. WHO should advocate not just one model, but several different sub-models.
