“The downward trend seems to be over, we have probably bottomed out”

Many Belgians were worried on Saturday about the new increase in coronavirus cases in our country. A trend that is not so surprising as that for the virologist and inter-federal spokesperson for the crisis Steven Van Gucht.

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The increase was slight, but it still surprised and worried many Belgians. On Saturday, 92 new cases of coronavirus were reported on average each day of the week from June 17 to 23, according to figures released by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health. This is an increase of 6% compared to the daily average for the previous week (June 10 to 16).

An assessment that must obviously be commented on and explained. “The downward trend seems to be over and we have probably reached the bottom of the epidemic in Belgium,” comments Steven Van Gucht at the Nieuwsblad. Understand that the number of new cases will not be able to go below the minimum that we have known. “The question now is whether the numbers will remain stable or increase again in the coming week. It remains to be seen, ”he adds.

But the inter-federal spokesperson is not surprised by all this because it was planned at the time of the flexibility implemented since May 4. “We also took this into account. As long as we don’t see big increases day after day, it’s not dramatic. “

If a trend really emerges from the latest figures, it is the group most affected: people between 20 and 30 years old. ” It’s not surprising. These are the age groups that have the most contact with each other. People in their 20s and 30s may also be less afraid of the new coronavirus than people over the age of 60. “

However, the number of new contaminations remains relatively correct. But we will have to wait a bit before being sure. “We will only see the effect of the party at Flagey (from nine days ago, note) in a few days, I think Tuesday. However, just because we can’t see an effect doesn’t mean it isn’t a risky situation. This will often go well, but if you are unlucky, there will suddenly be dozens of new infections during an event. “