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Image: www.imago-images.de
Belgium breathes a sigh of relief, the country has made the round of the crown. In October, the number of infections had exploded to such an extent 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 recorded in a few days – Belgium has only 11.5 million inhabitants.
Nerves were tense. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke warned of a “tsunami” and there was a risk of losing control. The government pulled the emergency brake: after the catering sector, almost all shops except supermarkets had to close and home office work was made compulsory.
Public life in Belgium is almost at a standstill. Image: www.imago-images.de
Contacts were strictly limited, family members could only meet one person, the so-called “Knuffelcontact”, without having to respect the distance rules.
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The strategy worked. With a daily average of 4,353 new infections registered in the past seven days (as of Friday), the number of new infections is significantly lower than in October.
The number of deaths with confirmed coronary infection is also falling in Belgium. However, the country also leads a sad statistic here: according to the US Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Belgium recorded the highest number of crown deaths per 100,000 population in a global comparison. The pandemic has killed more than 15,000 people so far.
“We should have answered earlier,” says Professor Steven van Gucht, virologist and head of the Belgian state health department Sciensano, who raised the alarm in September. But it was difficult to convince the Belgian public of the urgency of a blockade. “As virologists, we felt quite alone.”
Masks in public transport in Brussels. Image: www.imago-images.de
Even now he warns against a too rapid easing of the measures at the end of the year: “I understand that people want to relax after a difficult year.” But easing contact restrictions during Christmas and New Year carries the risk of a third wave of pandemics.
People who were infected around Christmas time could in turn infect others with the virus on New Year’s Eve. The virologist is also quite critical of skiing holidays. Experience with the flu virus has shown that “meeting, kissing, dancing” is the ideal breeding ground for rapid spread.
The health system is at the limit
Even as the number of infections is decreasing significantly, the Belgian health system is groaning. In some parts of the country, doctors and nurses had to be on duty despite coronary infection. “I think we are facing difficult times,” says Marei Schwall, a nurse in the province of Liège who in turn was serving in a ward ward.
A look inside the Liège hospital. Image: www.imago-images.de
“The hospital system has been run down in recent years,” Schwall says. Nursing staff are “tired” and therefore more susceptible to disease.
There are also colleagues who struggle with complications such as chronic exhaustion, trouble concentrating, and memory lapses after severe coronary disease. “The second wave hurts me a lot more,” Schwall says. Politicians missed an opportunity to increase staff between July and September.
One in five companies in Belgium is at risk of bankruptcy. Image: www.imago-images.de
Frustration doesn’t just prevail among the nursing staff. One in five companies in Belgium is threatened with bankruptcy, the bloc’s employers’ association has warned. Virologist van Gucht receives emails every day from angry or perplexed fellow citizens, some even expressing suicidal thoughts. “I’m really supportive,” says van Gucht, referring to the rampant despair. “But we had no choice. This pandemic seems surreal even for a virologist “. (Sda / dpa)
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