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This week, Belgium recorded the highest death rate for COVID-19 cases in Europe.
In Flanders, the region most affected by virus – Many ask “why is it so bad here?”
A large elderly population? Some densely populated cities? (although you wouldn’t know it during blocking).
Was it the fact that many here went skiing in Italy at the start of the outbreak and contracted the virus? Or were mistakes made from the beginning?
That is certainly a question that many have been asking themselves in the city of Sint-Truiden, where we met the mayor, Veerle Heeren.
She has faced questions and criticism after allowing a big carnival to take place in late February.
Thousands of people attended and the doctors told us that the virus could have spread.
But the mayor insists that no one could have known what would return at that time.
She said: “No one spoke of crown at that time.
“You know, it started with us on March 9, early March.
“And the first measures of our national government were taken on March 13.”
The mayoress, who has been applauded for her handling of the crisis since then, knows what it’s like to face the nightmare of COVID-19.
Her husband spent weeks in a coma with the virus and remains in the hospital.
She says it has been difficult personally, but she felt the need to continue working to help the community.
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Sint-Truiden is located in Limburg, the worst affected of the five provinces in Flanders, where hospitals, nursing homes and families have been under pressure to fight the virus.
Dr. Raf De Keersmaecker, president of the Limburg Province Medical Association, knows many colleagues who have caught COVID, some who ended up in the hospital.
We found him outside of surgery where patients who do not show virus symptoms are taken to one building and those who are taken to another.
Doctors in protective suits and masks accompany the latter.
He has a firm theory as to why Belgium’s death rate is so high compared to other countries: greater transparency.
He said, “We record everything. Deaths everywhere, not just in hospitals.”
And that includes deaths suspected of being from COVID but not actually proven. More of those deaths are in nursing homes.
Dr. De Keersmaecker said: “If we believe that people are dying of COVID, we count it.”
“Of course, that (explains) the highest level of deaths in our country.
“In most countries they don’t do that. They just take deaths from hospitals. We even have people dying at home.”
the differences in the COVID death record It makes comparing statistics across nations difficult and could mean that Belgium’s figure is more realistic or even lower than the data suggests.
It could also mean that the number of COVID deaths in other nations is higher than previously thought.
Health Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Andre acknowledges that Belgium’s way of recording deaths brings the country to the top of the ranking, but does not apologize.
He argues that it is the best way to get a true picture of what is really happening.
He said: “So the point of including suspected cases is to get the best picture of the level of this outbreak in our community, even outside of hospitals.
“And if we know this, then we can do better to control this outbreak at the source of infection.”
The goal in Belgium is now to screen all people with COVID symptoms, whether in hospitals, nursing homes, and the community at large.
That will be an expensive and lengthy process, but it will tell the story of what is really happening.
But until other countries make the same comparisons between nations it may not make sense.
