Should we be worried about the significant increase in Covid contamination in Belgium? Erika Vlieghe responds
“After a long period of stabilization, we have recently noticed an upward trend concerning the epidemiological situation, everywhere in Belgium and for all age groups”, explains Steven Van Gucht on Friday at a Sciensano press briefing. Indeed, between October 6 and 12, 2,438 people on average were infected each day with Covid-19, according to Sciensano figures published this Saturday. This represents an increase of 28% from the previous week. And if we compare with the week before, the number of cases of contamination has even doubled. But should we worry about it?
“If we put things in perspective and compare with last year, the situation is less worrying,” reacted Erika Vlieghe at the microphone of VTM. She recalls that last year, at this time, we recorded twice as many cases. But this does not mean that the infectious disease specialist takes these figures lightly: “I always worry a lot, even if sometimes it does not have to be”. For her, it is the vaccination that saves us from a more challenging scenario, and she did not hesitate to say that without the vaccine, the epidemiological situation would be “ten times worse”.
Currently, 86% of the adult population has received their two doses of the vaccine. Flanders is still “at the head” of the vaccination campaign, with 93% of its inhabitants 100% vaccinated, against 82% of Walloons. Brussels, where the expanded Covid Safe Ticket entered into force on October 15, is still slightly behind schedule, because 69% of Brussels residents are vaccinated.