If the weather is fine in Belgium, the epidemiological situation, it looks gray. All indicators are up in our country for several days. Experts, however, remain optimistic regarding the impact that this resurgence of the epidemic will have on our health care system. “This is the seventh wave and there are some differences compared to what we have known in the past”, confides Erika Vlieghe in a interview with De Morgen emphasizing in particular the benefits of vaccination.
The infectious disease specialist (UAntwerp), however, points to the higher number of hospitalizations than at the same period last year. “This is explained, of course, by the fact that the measures have been abandoned and that the circulation of the virus is more important”, she develops. “Not only are there more mass events involving many people without protection, but the number of contacts in the private sphere has also increased.”
The arrival of a new, more pathogenic variant cannot be ruled out
This is why the expert who was formerly at the head of GEMS (group of experts responsible for advising the government) advises Belgians to scrupulously respect barrier gestures. “The measures that made sense during the winter still have them today,” she explains in the columns of Morgen. “If you are sick for example, it is best to stay at home and limit close contact. It is also always useful to wear a mask on public transport or in closed and crowded places.”
Finally, Mrs Vlieghe does not rule out the possibility of having to tighten the screw at some point. Especially at the start of the school year, when the temperatures will drop and the children will go back to school. “It is important that we prepare for this now,” she concludes. “It is always possible that a new variant will emerge that is more pathogenic for the general population. With the holidays, these new mutations can travel around the world more easily. If the situation gets really out of control, we have to be ready to temporarily take additional measures.”
