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Image: www.imago-images.de
Belgium breathes a sigh of relief, the country has taken a 180 degree turn. By October, the number of infections had skyrocketed so much that Belgium was among the top 3 countries most affected by the coronavirus in Europe. In the last week of October, more than 20,000 new infections were registered in some days; Furthermore, Belgium has only 11.5 million inhabitants.
Nerves were on edge. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has warned of a “tsunami” that threatens to lose control. The government hit the emergency brake: after the catering trade, almost all stores, except supermarkets, had to close and work at the head office became mandatory.
Public life in Belgium is almost stagnant. Image: www.imago-images.de
Contacts were severely restricted, members of a household could only meet with one person, the so-called “Knuffelcontact”, without having to adhere to distance rules.
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The strategy worked. With a daily average of 4,353 new infections recorded in the last seven days (through Friday), the number of new infections is significantly lower than in October.
The number of deaths with proven corona infection is also decreasing in Belgium. However, the country also leads a sad statistic here: According to the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the US, Belgium recorded the most deaths per crown per 100,000 inhabitants in a global comparison. The pandemic has killed more than 15,000 people so far.
“We should have responded earlier,” says Professor Steven van Gucht, a virologist and head of the Belgian state health department Sciensano, which raised the alarm in September. But it was difficult to convince the Belgian public of the urgency of a closure. “As virologists, we feel quite alone.”
Masks on public transport in Brussels. Image: www.imago-images.de
Even now, he warns against easing measures too quickly at the end of the year: “I understand that people want to relax after a difficult year.” But a relaxation of contact restrictions during Christmas and New Years carries the risk of a third wave of pandemics.
People who were infected during Christmas could, in turn, infect others with the virus on New Year’s Eve. Even skiing is the critical virologist of the former. Experience with the flu virus has shown that “meet, kiss, dance” is the ideal breeding ground for rapid spread.
The health system is on the edge
Even if the number of infections is significantly decreasing, the Belgian health system is groaning. In some parts of the country, doctors and nurses had to be on duty despite corona infection. “I think we are facing difficult times,” says Marei Schwall, a nurse in Liège province, who was on duty in a crown ward.
A look at the Liège hospital. Image: www.imago-images.de
“The hospital system has deteriorated in recent years,” says Schwall, “you feel like you’re left alone with the pandemic.” The nursing staff is “tired” and therefore more susceptible to illness.
There are also colleagues who have to deal with complications such as chronic exhaustion, concentration problems, and memory lapses after severe corona disease. “The second wave hurts a lot more,” says Schwall. Between July and September, politicians missed an opportunity to increase staff.
One in five companies in Belgium threatens to declare bankruptcy. Image: www.imago-images.de
There is not only frustration among the nursing staff. One in five companies in Belgium threatens to declare bankruptcy, the employers’ association warned before the shutdown. Virologist van Gucht receives emails from angry or perplexed fellow citizens every day, some even expressing suicidal thoughts. “I’m really sorry,” says van Gucht, referring to the unbridled desperation. But we had no other choice. This pandemic feels surreal even to a virologist. “(Sda / dpa)
