COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:04, 9 March 2020
| 2020 coronavirus outbreak Belgium | |
|---|---|
 Map of provinces with confirmed (red) or suspected (blue) coronavirus cases (as of 9 March)[citation needed] | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Belgium |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | Brussels |
| Arrival date | 4 February 2020 6 years, 1 month and 1 week |
| Confirmed cases | 239 |
| Recovered | 1 |
Deaths | 0 |
The 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak was confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when its first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Brussels. Efforts to address the coronavirus outbreak in Belgium have to be managed by the nine, federal and regional, health ministers: Maggie De Block (Open VLD), Wouter Beke (CD&V), Christine Morreale (PS), Antonios Antoniadis (Belgian politician) (SP), Bénédicte Linard (Ecolo), Valérie Glatiny (MR), Alain Maron (Ecolo) and Elke Van den Brandt (Groen),[1] with the support of:
- Sciensano, the national public health institute of Belgium,
- other agencies such as the Agency for Care and Health in Flanders and the Agence wallonne pour une vie de qualité (AViQ) in Wallonia
- the Risk Assessment Group (RAG)
- the Risk Management Group (RMG)
- a Coronavirus Scientific Committee (Steven Van Gucht, Marc Van Ranst, Nathalie Bossuyt, Erika Vlieghe and Charlotte Martin).[2]
Unlike most neighbouring countries like The Netherlands and France, the Belgian authorities are not willing to provide information or statistics on where the cases are located, beyond statistics for each region like Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia and the German-speaking Community of Belgium.[3]
Timeline
January 2020
Phase 1
On 29 January, Belgium issued a travel notice advising against non-essential flights to China, Hong Kong excluded, with some travel companies cancelling all flights to China.[4] Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled at the University of Leuven.[5]
February 2020
On 1 February, Belgian nationals living in Hubei were repatriated on a series of evacuation flights arriving at Melsbroek Military Airport in Brussels,[6] where they were quarantined and examined in a military hospital. People tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were transferred to the Military Hospital of Neder-over-Heembeek where they underwent a 14-day quarantine.[7][8]
On 4 February, Belgium confirmed the first case.[9] The patient, an asymptomatic 54-year-old male was one of nine Belgians repatriated from China.[10] He was quarantined at Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels.[9]
On 21 February a group of 10 Belgian citizens were allowed to return to Belgium after having been constrained on the MS Westerdam cruise ship for several days.[11] Two couples used the public transportion to return home, nothwithstanding the requirement to be quarantined for 2 weeks[12].
On 24 February, following the discovery of a COVID-19 case involving an Italian citizen, more than 100 Belgian citizens were put in quarantine in the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife that was put on lockdown.[13][14] 15 people were allowed to return on February 28th. The remainder were allowed to travel back to Belgium on March 5th, withouth having been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus[15].
During the month of February it became also clear that Belgium had an insufficient stock of surgical masks[16]. On March 8th the federal minister of public health mentioned she had a solution for the shortage of masks but was unwilling to disclose the potential vendor and the amount of masks involved.[17]
On 25 February Belgian federal minister of health Maggie De Block asserted that "Belgium was prepared" for the possible arrival of cases of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2[18].
On 26 February the UZA clinic in Edegem started with the construction of containers to be able to cope with the increased influx of patients at the emergence department[19].
March 2020
Phase 2
On Sunday 1 March, a second case of coronavirus was confirmed in Belgium, a Dutch speaking woman who had returned from Crépy-en-Valois in one of the regions affected in France.[20] At the same time phase 2 of the health risk containment strategy was activated[21].
The yearly one week school holiday around carnival lasted from February 22nd until March 1st in 2020 and quite a few people go on ski vacation during that period. The number of detected virus infections therefore sharply rose upon the return of people having resided in the ski resorts of the North of Italy.
On 2 March six additional cases, making a total of 8, have been diagnosed. 5 were found in Flanders and 1 in Brussels. These 6 persons all came back from the North of Italy.[22] Some experts, like Marc Wathelet[23] and professor Herman Goossens of the UZA in Antwerp criticized the (lack of) measures taken by the Belgian government and called for wider screening for the virus[24]. Pharmacists complained they did not receive clear instructions from the authorities[25].
As of 3 March six additional cases were confirmed, making a total of 14 cases. One of the infected persons was a 17-year old teenager who returned to his school in Tienen after a ski vacation in the North of Italy.[26] Another person from Sint-Niklaas also returned from ski vacation[27]. A patient from Verviers was hospitalized in a Brussels clinic[28] and two cases were found in Couthuin (part of Héron)[29]. One patient is a 65-year-old male from Eupen who presented relatively severe symptoms and had not been to any of the regions with a higher risk of infection.[30][31]
As of 4 March ten new cases were confirmed before noon, making a total of 23. Nine of the new patients recently returned from Italy. The other patient had contact with a prior case.[32] Four cases were in the Leuven area[33], one case in Hasselt[34] and one case in Pelt[35]. In Wevelgem two related cases appeared. A complete family of 7 was infected upon their return from a ski holiday in the North of Italy. Initially the Belgian authorities did not want to test the family for the virus, notwithstanding the request of the family[36]. Additionally a teacher in a primary school in Wevelgem, who was on the same ski vacation as the family of seven and even went to work for two and a half days after the school holiday became sick and was diagnosed with the covid-19 virus[37]. The Agentschap Zorg en Gezondheid advised the school to not close down.[38].
On 4 March 2020, the European Defence Agency (EDA) confirmed that a staff member had tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first confirmed case in the agencies of the European Union.[39] The senior EDA official had returned from a trip to Italy the previous week.[39] After returning from Italy, he attended a roughly four-hour meeting with about thirty other European Union officials last week before he started feeling ill on Saturday (29 February).[39] A military staff member of the European External Action Service who attended the meeting has also begun experiencing symptoms.[39] The EDA has cancelled all meetings until 13 March, and other European Union institutions are also taking precautions.[39][40]
On 5 March, 27 new confirmed cases were reported by the government (16 in Flanders, 9 in Wallonia and 2 in Brussels), bringing the total to 50.[41] Of the 50 persons 1 patient recovered, 48 are quarantined in their home and 1 person is being treated in the Sint-Pietersziekenhuis.[42] The new cases were reported to be in Knokke-Heist, Zonhoven, Doomkerke (Ruiselede) and Vlierzele (part of Sint-Lievens-Houtem).[43]
On 6 March, 59 new cases were reported by the government, bringing the total to 109 (65 in Flanders, 12 in Brussels, 31 in Wallonia and 1 cured). The new cases were amongst others reported in Oosterzele and Sint-Katelijne-Waver[44]. The Ministry of Health confirmed for the first time that infections occurred on Belgium territory.
On 7 march, 60 new cases were confirmed by the government (40 in Flanders, 5 in Brussels and 15 in Wallonia), bringing the total to 169 (105 in Flanders, 17 in Brussels, 46 in Wallonia and 1 cured). The new cases were amongst others reported in Houthalen, Melle, Lokeren, Mere, Lede, Tildonk and Poppel.[45] The UZ Leuven confirmed they were forced to limit the number of tests for the virus because of a shortage of reagents for the test.[46] The ministry of public health mentioned that "more and more infections are being contracted locally” but did not provide the information on how many.[47]
From 422 samples taken on 7 March, 31 were tested positive on 8 March (16 in Flanders, 8 in Brussels and 7 in Wallonia), bringing the number of infections to 200. The ministry of health confirmed "local circulation of the virus from various locations" but did not disclose these locations[48].
Statistics
The first recovered case was on 15 February 2020[49]. In the period of March 1st to March 7th the number of detected cases grew on average exponentially with a doubling of the number of cases every 0.94 days.
Template:2019–20 coronavirus outbreak data/Belgium medical cases
References
- ^ "Here's why Belgium has nine health ministers". The Brussels Times. 5 March 2020.
- ^ "What is the government doing?". www.info-coronavirus.be. Federal Public Service Health (Belgium).
- ^ "Waarom ons land niet zegt waar de coronapatiënten wonen" (in Dutch). De Morgen. 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Buitenlandse Zaken raadt alle niet-essentiële reizen naar China af wegens het coronavirus" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Douaniers op onze luchthavens dragen voortaan mondmaskers: "Maar hier masker dragen tegen coronavirus heeft geen zin"" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 29 January 2020.
- ^ Galindo, Gabriela (3 February 2020). "Belgians evacuated from China amid coronavirus outbreak arrived in Brussels". The Brussel Times. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "België haalt landgenoten terug uit Chinese provincie Hubei na uitbraak coronavirus" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Maggie De Block (Open VLD): "Gerepatrieerde Belgen moeten 14 dagen in quarantaine in Militair Hospitaal"" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 30 January 2020.
- ^ a b "First case of coronavirus confirmed in Belgium". The Brussels Times. 4 February 2020.
- ^ "Belg die besmet raakte met coronavirus ..." Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 4 February 2020.
- ^ "Belgische passagiers Westerdam geland in Nederland, hen wacht isolatie" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 21 February 2020.
- ^ "Alle Belgen weer thuis van corona-cruise: twee koppels keerden gewoon met openbaar vervoer terug van luchthaven" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 21 February 2020.
- ^ Laura Perez Maestro; Niamh Kennedy; Amy Woodyatt. "Tenerife hotel on partial lockdown as Italian tests positive for coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Ongerustheid bij Belgen in quarantaine in hotel Tenerife: "Het is hier 'tirez votre plan', er is veel onduidelijk"" (in Dutch). VRT. 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Belgen uit 'coronahotel' op Tenerife worden niet meer getest bij aankomst in ons land" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Belgische apotheken kunnen vraag naar mondmaskers niet aan" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Maggie De Block heeft oplossing klaar voor tekort aan mondmaskers in ons land: 'Nog langer wachten is geen optie'" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Minister De Block: "Kans is reëel dat coronavirus naar ons land komt, maar er is een plan"" (in Dutch). VRT. 25 February 2020.
- ^ "UZA test patiënten op coronavirus in aparte containers" (in Dutch). Gazet van Antwerpen. 26 February 2020.
- ^ "New coronavirus infection reported in Antwerp". The Brussels Times. 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Belgium enters Phase 2 for coronavirus: what does it mean?". The Brussels Times. 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Returns from Italy push COVID-19 tally higher". VRTnws. 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Lettre ouverte à la ministre de la Santé publique : "Coronavirus, il faut savoir écouter la peur"" (in French). RTBF. 28 February 2020.
- ^ "Experts oneens over aanpak coronavirus: "Patiënt was niet gevonden als we richtlijnen overheid hadden gevolgd"" (in Dutch). Gazet van Antwerpen. 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Apothekers kregen nog steeds geen specifieke instructies over corona: "Wij zitten nochtans in de vuurlinie"" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Zes nieuwe besmettingen met het coronavirus in België" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Man uit Sint-Niklaas heeft geen idee hoe hij coronavirus opliep: "Op reis liep ik zelfs vaak met sjaal rond mijn mond"" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Vijftiende geval van coronavirus in ons land bevestigd – Spanje meldt eerste dode" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Dit weten we over de tien nieuwe coronabesmettingen in ons land" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Vijftiende Belgische coronapatiënt met longontsteking overgebracht naar referentieziekenhuis" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronapatiënt Eupen zadelt zorgverleners op met quarantaine" (in Dutch). MEDI-SFEER. 3 March 2020.
- ^ "10 nieuwe gevallen van coronavirus in ons land, in totaal nu 23 patiënten" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus duikt op in drie Leuvense scholen" (in Dutch). www.robtv.be. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Leerling Kindsheid Jesu in Hasselt test positief op corona: "Ze is na de vakantie niet in school geweest"" (in Dutch). VRT. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Lerares van college uit Pelt is besmet met coronavirus" (in Dutch). TV Limburg. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Gezin en liefjes van kinderen keren alle acht besmet terug van skireis: nu twee weken samen uitzieken in quarantaine" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Lid 'coronafamilie' Wevelgem: "Niemand van ons is écht ziek"" (in Dutch). De Krant van West-Vlaanderen. 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Gezin van zeven en leerkracht in Wevelgem besmet met corona" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Fortuna, Gerardo (4 March 2020). "First confirmed case of COVID-19 in the EU institutions". Euractiv.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ @EURACTIV (4 March 2020). "First case of #coronavirus in the EU institutions: the European Defence Agency has cancelled all meetings until 13 March after a senior official tested positive for #COVID_19, according to an internal mail seen by EURACTIV" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "27 nieuwe corona-patiënten in ons land, vanavond komen Belgen naar huis die in quarantaine zaten op Tenerife" (in Dutch). VRTnws. 5 March 2020.
- ^ Gert Segers (5 March 2020). "Federale regering keurt vrijdag maatregelen" (in Dutch). Knack.
- ^ "27 nieuwe coronabesmettingen in België, totaal staat op 50: dit weten we" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 5 March 2020.
- ^ LH and TT (6 March 2020). "Dit weten we over de 59 nieuwe coronabesmettingen in België" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws.
- ^ Dit weten we over de 60 nieuwe coronabesmettingen in België. hln.be (7 March 2020)
- ^ Ito (7 March 2020). "UZ Leuven moet tests voor coronavirus inperken vanwege tekort aan reagentia" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad.
- ^ Alan Hope (7 March 2020). "Coronavirus: 169 confirmed cases in Belgium". The Brussels Times.
- ^ 31 nieuwe besmettingen met het coronavirus covid-19. info-coronavirus.be (8 March 2020)
- ^ "Le Belge contaminé par le coronavirus peut quitter l'hôpital Saint-Pierre" (in French). RTBF. 15 February 2020.
External links
- Worldwide Coronavirus Map, confirmed Cases – Map the route paths of coronavirus confirmed cases.
- Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases and historical data by Johns Hopkins University