These significant numbers, accompanied by a significantly increased positivity rate (25%), clearly mark our entry “into the 5th epidemic wave fueled by the appearance of the Omicron variant”, explained Mr. Van Gucht. If the situation deteriorated primarily at first for young people in their twenties in Brussels, all age groups and all provinces are now concerned. A quarter of the new contaminations are still nevertheless noted in the only capital, undoubtedly because of a population “less vaccinated, more mobile at the international level, and younger therefore having more activities involving contacts”, explained the virologist. .
New hospitalizations are also increasing, and this since the end of December, with 172 new admissions per day on average (+ 28%) but the situation in intensive care units “remains manageable for the moment with less than 500 patients, although that we reach the lowest point here, “warned Steven Van Gucht.
If the deaths continue to decrease (23 per day once morest 31 the previous week), “they increased however for the age group between 25 and 65 years, less vaccinated and having benefited less from booster doses”, explained the scientist.
The press point was also an opportunity to review the new quarantine rules following a high-risk positive contact case. For people who have received their booster dose or people who have received a double vaccine for less than 5 months, “there is no longer any mandatory quarantine or PCR tests to be carried out, but rather a ten-day ‘pseudo-quarantine’. You must avoid all contact, do not go to the café or see your friends, and preferably wear an FFP2 mask “, detailed Steven Van Gucht.
The measure also applies to young people aged 12 to 17 who have received their basic vaccination, regardless of the date of vaccination. The only condition is that the affected person does not have any symptoms.
For partially vaccinated people, a real quarantine of seven days must be respected, which can be shortened to 4 days on condition of carrying out daily self-tests, and to respect the measures of “pseudo-quarantine”. For the unvaccinated, these periods increase to ten and seven days respectively.
But “the quarantine policy has not been adapted because the risks have disappeared”, warned Mr. Van Gucht. “A fifth of fully vaccinated people are still infected with the coronavirus following high-risk contact.”
