In Belgium, the number of infections continues to rise, and the authorities are today urging the population to abide by the corona rules.
In the first press conference about the virus in just over a month, it became clear that an average of 154 infections were registered daily in the week of 11-17 July, an increase of 66 percent compared to the previous week. The infections were mainly in the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg and West Flanders, with clusters in Brussels and Wallonia.
Boudewijn Catry of health institute Sciensano said the figures are “not yet dramatic”, “but it is high time to take action”. He called it “very unfortunate” that the Belgian police had to stop private parties of more than 100 people. They pose a major risk of another outbreak, he warned.
According to Catry, hospital occupancy is still stable at a low level. There are an average of ten admissions per day, and occupancy at the IC is also low at 3 percent.
“Let’s not go crazy, then we can turn the tide together,” spokesman Yves Stevens of the Belgian corona crisis center summarized the message at the end of the press conference.
Share data faster
At the press conference it also became clear that the source and contact investigation is not always smooth. For example, almost a quarter of the people to be contacted by law have not been reached recently. This was, for example, because there was no data or people did not answer their phone. This is followed by a home visit, after which a part still shares data.
In order to improve the source and contact research, the intention is that labs and hospitals pass test results faster to the so-called contact centers. This must take place within an hour, while now it sometimes takes two days.
Holiday or not?
The steady rise prompted the Belgian government to meet again yesterday. Afterwards, no stricter measures were decided upon, but everyone was urged to adhere to the existing corona rules. The infections could often be traced back to events or specific circles such as families, it was also said at the time.
Minister De Crem (Home Affairs) made an appeal not to go abroad, but he was somewhat whistled back by Prime Minister Wilmès. She just called for “very careful” to add, “Suggest we stick with official communication.”
Press conferences about the latest figures will be held again in the near future, and there will be another one on Wednesday. The aim is to make Belgians more aware of the importance of complying with the corona rules.
Belgium now has nearly 64,000 registered infections, with 9,800 deaths.
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