Technology & Science

Despite the rising numbers and the state of emergency, we should not immediately worry. No disease has yet been found in Belgium and even if that happens, there is no reason to panic. “The new variant might be more contagious, but it’s not a Covid situation. The virus is not that contagious,” said Laurens Liesenborghs from the Institute for Tropical Medicine (ITG).

In the Congo the mortality rate could be up to 3 percent, but in Belgium we can boast of better health care. How dangerous the virus is also depends on the resistance of the patient.

Naturally, everything is being closely monitored in the meantime, according to the ITM and the Flemish Department of Health Care. Declaring an emergency also made countries around the world aware of the problem, to quickly exchange data and thus contain the virus better.

In addition, in Belgium we are still relatively protected from the virus, thanks to the vaccination campaign in 2022. At that time, gay men with variable partners were the main carriers suffering “A targeted vaccination campaign was then carried out and we estimate that half of the people who were at risk received the vaccine,” says Liesenborghs. The vaccine has since remained effective against the new variant. .