COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: Difference between revisions

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== Statistics ==
== Statistics ==
===Confirmed infections===
===Confirmed infections===
In the period of 1 March to 6 March the number of detected cases [[exponential growth|grew on average exponentially]] with a doubling of the number of cases every day. In the period between 7 March and 22 March the number of confirmed cases doubled on average every 3.4{{nbsp}}days (23.3{{nbsp}}% daily increase). The 23th of March a steep drop of the daily increase was observed. In the period between 23 and 25 March, the amount of confirmed cases doubled on average every 5.6 days (13.3{{nbsp}}% daily increase).
In the period of 1 March to 6 March the number of detected cases [[exponential growth|grew on average exponentially]] with a doubling of the number of cases every day. In the period between 7 March and 22 March the number of confirmed cases doubled on average every 3.4{{nbsp}}days (23.3{{nbsp}}% daily increase). The 23th of March a steep drop of the daily increase was observed. In the period between 23 and 25 March, the amount of confirmed cases doubled on average every 5.6 days (13.3{{nbsp}}% daily increase).{{citation needed}}


====By province====
====By province====

Revision as of 15:31, 25 March 2020

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Belgium
Map of Belgium and its provinces with the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as of 24 March 2020[1]
Confirmed cases per 100.000 inhabitants by province (as of 22 March 2020)
  1-10
  10-20
  20-30
  30-40
  40-50
  50+
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationBelgium
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China[2]
Index caseBrussels
Arrival date4 February 2020
(6 years, 1 month and 1 week ago)
Confirmed cases4,937[3] (= 42.9 cases per 100,000 head of population)
Active cases4,390
Recovered547
Deaths
178
Government website
https://www.info-coronavirus.be/

Template:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic data/Belgium medical cases chart The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when its first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Brussels. The pandemic only started on 1 March, when many skiers who had spent the school holiday around carnival in the North of Italy were allowed to return to work or school.[4]

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, federal government), Wouter Beke (CD&V, Flemish Community), Christine Morreale [fr] (PS, French Community), Antonios Antoniadis [de] (SP, German-speaking Community), Bénédicte Linard [fr] (Ecolo, French Community), Valérie Glatigny (MR, French Community), Alain Maron (Ecolo, Brussels), Elke Van den Brandt (Groen, Brussels) and Barbara Trachte [fr] (Ecolo, Brussels).[5] with the support of:

Unlike most neighbouring countries (the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK), the Belgian authorities were not willing to provide information or statistics on where the cases are located, beyond statistics for each region: Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia.[7] Sciensano started to publish statistics per province from 18 March onwards. The authorities do not disclose yet statistics per municipality.

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.[8] Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled at the University of Leuven.[9]

Lack of masks and respirators

Towards the end of January it became clear that Belgium had an insufficient stock of respirators and surgical masks but Jan Eyckmans of the Federal Public Service Health department claimed the Belgian hospitals had sufficient stock.[10][11] On 8 March the federal minister of public health stated she had a solution for the shortage of masks but was unwilling to disclose the potential vendor and the number of masks involved.[12] On 15 March, it became clear that the masks had not been delivered on time,[13] and the following day De Block announced that her department's order of 5 million masks might have involved fraud.[14][15] On 16 March, hospitals such as the UZ Leuven called for the public to bring in FFP2 , FFP3 respirators or surgical masks[16] and the next day it became clear that De Block had blundered by ordering all 5 million masks from a single company (M.O.S.S.A. vof), a consultancy firm that had no track record in the medical field and was owned by Mahmut Öz, a Belgo-Turkish politician from her own political affiliation.[17] On 19 March, a shipment of 100.000 FFP2 respirators arrived.[18] On 20 March, a shipment from China of 5 million masks arrived at the airport of Bierset, but theses were surgical masks and not the type of respirators required to protect the medical staff.[19][20] Hospitals such as the Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell (CHIREC) reported that they were in dire need of protective masks.[21] Minister Philippe De Backer was charged with coordinating the efforts of the authorities to supply masks and respirators.[22]

February 2020

On 1 February, Belgian nationals living in Hubei were repatriated on a series of evacuation flights arriving at Melsbroek Military Airport close to Brussels,[23] 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.[24][25]

On 4 February, Belgium confirmed the first case.[26] The patient, an asymptomatic 54-year-old male was one of nine Belgians repatriated from China.[27] He was quarantined at Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels.[26]

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.[28] Two couples used public transport to return home, notwithstanding the requirement to be quarantined for 2 weeks.[29]

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.[30][31] Fifteen people were allowed to return on 28 February. The remainder were allowed to travel back to Belgium on 5 March, without having been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[32]

On 25 February, the 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.[33]

Hospital prefab-containers built next to the emergency department for the COVID-19 crisis at the Antwerp University Hospital, 14 March 2020

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 in the emergency department.[34]

March 2020

Phase 2

On 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.[35] At the same time phase 2 of the health risk containment strategy was activated.[36] The yearly one week school holiday around carnival lasted from 22 February until 1 March 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. The mayor of Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe, Olivier Maingain, was one of the only mayors to take measures to prevent the spreading of the new coronavirus by restricting access to schools, preschools, sports facilities and public places for persons returning from areas at risk[37] and only a few schools, such as the International School Ghent, quarantined pupils that returned from areas at risk, such as Northern Italy.[38]

On 2 March, six additional cases, making a total of eight, had been diagnosed. Five were found in Flanders and one in Brussels, all six having come back from Northern Italy.[39] Minister De Block mentioned there was no reason to panic and said Belgium could cope with the epidemic.[40] Some experts, like Marc Wathelet[41] 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.[42] Pharmacists complained they did not receive clear instructions from the authorities.[43]

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.[44] Another person from Sint-Niklaas also returned from a skiing holiday.[45] A patient from Verviers was hospitalized in a Brussels clinic,[46] and two cases were found in Couthuin [fr] (part of Héron).[47] 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.[48][49] Steven Van Gucht of the Scientific Committee predicted that in the worst-case scenario the epidemic would cause 13,000 virus infections, with 2,000 to 3,000 hospitalisations and 500 to 700 patients in intensive care.[50] In a later interview he mentioned different numbers saying that 70% of the population (approximately 8 million persons) could become infected.[51]

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.[52] Four cases were in the Leuven area,[53] one case in Hasselt,[54] and one in Pelt.[55] 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.[56] 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.[57] The Agentschap Zorg en Gezondheid advised the school to not close down.[58] A retirement home in Gooik stopped receiving visitors as a precautionary measure, because one employee could have been in contact with the new coronavirus.[59] Joris Moonens, the spokesman of the Flemish Agency for Care and Health, expressed the opinion that this was not an appropriate measure.[60]

On 4 March, 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.[61] The senior EDA official had returned from a trip to Italy the previous week.[61] 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).[61] A military staff member of the European External Action Service who attended the meeting has also begun experiencing symptoms.[61] The EDA has cancelled all meetings until 13 March, and other European Union institutions are also taking precautions.[61][62]

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.[63] Of the 50 persons 1 patient recovered, 48 are quarantined in their home and 1 person is being treated in the Sint-Pietersziekenhuis.[64] The new cases were reported to be in Knokke-Heist, Zonhoven, Doomkerke [nl] (Ruiselede) and Vlierzele (part of Sint-Lievens-Houtem).[65]

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.[66] 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.[67] 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.[68] The ministry of public health mentioned that "more and more infections are being contracted locally” but did not provide the information on how many.[69]

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.[70]

Lack of reagents for testing

On 7 March, it became clear that Belgium lacked enough reagents to do widespread COVID-19 testing and the National Reference Centre for Pathogens (NRC)[71] was forced to apply a system of triage.[68] Two surgeons from the Brussels Saint Pierre hospital addressed an open letter to prime minister Wilmès on 22 March demanding increased testing.[72][73]

Reinforced phase 2

On 10 March, the total number of confirmed cases was 267;[74] that day the government advised to cancel any indoor scheduled events to be attended by more than 1000 people for the month of March. Prime minister Wilmès stressed this was not an interdiction but rather a recommendation.[75] Schools remain open but are advised to cancel trips abroad and multi-day excursions in general. Companies are advised to have their personnel work from home as much as possible and allow flexible working times to allow a better spread of public transport use throughout the day. The authorities called this 'reinforced phase 2'.[76]

Intensive care units capacity

Around 10 March, the Belgian hospitals started to increase their number of intensive care units (ICU) from 1900 to 2650 in two weeks time, corresponding to an increase from 16.5 to 23.0 ICUs per 100 000 inhabitants.[77]

On 11 March, ministers De Block and Maron announced that the first death on Belgian territory due to COVID-19 occurred on 10 March,[78] a 90-year-old female patient from Brussels who was being treated in Etterbeek.[79] Two more patients died on the same day, one person aged 73 and one person aged 86 who died in Sint-Genesius-Rode.[80] Zorgnet Icuro requested minister Beke to take stronger actions with respect to visitor access at retirement homes in Flanders.[81] Professors Herman Goossens and Marc Van Ranst expressed the opinion that more drastic measures were required for Belgium and questioned the limit of maximum 1000 people for indoor events set by prime minister Wilmès on 10 March.[82]

On 12 March, 2 new infections were detected as well as 32 suspected cases in retirement home Ter Kameren in Watermaal-Bosvoorde, one of the biggest retirement homes of the Brussels region.[83] The total number of confirmed cases rose to 399. Approximately 20 patients (approx. 5%) out of those 399 were being treated in intensive care.[84] The Belgische Vereniging van Artsensyndicaten (BVAS/ABSyM) called for a closure of all schools at short notice and warned for a potential collapse of the health care system in Belgium.[85] In an open letter several Flemish rectors, two members belonging to the Coronavirus Scientific Committee that advises the Belgian authorities and several other experts urged the authorities to take decisive measures and to avoid non-binding instructions and guidelines.[86]

Late in the evening on 12 March, after a meeting of the National Security Council, the Belgian government ordered the closure of schools, discos, cafes and restaurants, and the cancellation of all public gatherings for sporting, cultural or festive purposes from Friday 13 March at midnight onwards.[87] It was stressed that the measures taken were not a lockdown because people are not required to stay home.[88] Earlier that day mayor Leopold Lippens already had ordered similar measures for his municipality of Knokke-Heist.[89] The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen informed the entire staff that 7 of their colleagues had tested positive, six of whom in Belgium. She also instructed "all colleagues in non-critical functions" to work from home with immediate effect until 29 March, while those "who ensure critical functions" would need to work in two shifts to minimize the risk of contagion.[90]

Experts and authorities expressed their indignation about citizens organising or taking part in so-called 'lock-down or corona parties'.[91][92] Mayors of municipalities close to the border with the Netherlands such as Paul Van Miert of Turnhout urged their Dutch counterparts to request their national authorities in the Netherlands to implement similar measures as in Belgium.[93]

The coronavirus pandemic sparked new debate on the ongoing federal government formation. Representatives of N-VA, PS, Open Vld, MR, CD&V and sp.a sat together on 14 and 15 March to talk about an emergency coalition.[94] This idea was however rejected by the PS and MR, and eventually these parties (except N-VA) together with Ecolo, Groen, cdH and DéFI opted to temporarily grant more competences to the caretaker Wilmès I Government instead, under the form of a new Wilmès II Government, still a minority, but no longer in caretaker status, allowing more flexibility to take quick decisions.[95][96]

On 16 March, King Philippe addressed the nation and called on all Belgians to respect the COVID-19 measures “for ourselves and for the most vulnerable among us”.[97]

'Lockdown light'

On the evening of 17 March, the Prime Minister broadcast a decision to impose stricter social distancing measures from noon the following day, with non-essential travel prohibited, non-essential shops to close, gatherings banned, and penalties to force companies and individuals to abide by the rules.[98][99]

On 20 March, from 3 p.m. onwards Belgium closed its borders to all non-essential travel.[100] Earlier that day the governor of West Flanders had complained about Dutch and French citizens coming to Belgium for tourism or shopping.[101] That day the chairman of the Scientific Committee also expressed the hope that the measures that came into effect on 14 March would lead to a stabilisation of the number of hospitalisations starting from the mid of the week of 23 March.[102]

On 21 March, Prof. dr. Erika Vlieghe of the Scientific Committee mentioned that the she expected the peak of the pandemic to occur early April.[103]

Shortage of hand sanitiser

Several brewers,[104] a pharmaceutical company[105] and the Sugar refinery of Tienen[106] started to produce alcohol for hand sanitiser from 21 march onwards in an effort to alleviate the shortage in Belgium.

Statistics

Confirmed infections

In the period of 1 March to 6 March the number of detected cases grew on average exponentially with a doubling of the number of cases every day. In the period between 7 March and 22 March the number of confirmed cases doubled on average every 3.4 days (23.3 % daily increase). The 23th of March a steep drop of the daily increase was observed. In the period between 23 and 25 March, the amount of confirmed cases doubled on average every 5.6 days (13.3 % daily increase).[citation needed]

By province

Sciensano started to publish confirmed cases and incidence numbers per province starting 18 March. In the period between 17 March and 21 March it became clear that the province of Limburg was a hotspot for the coronavirus where the incidence grew much faster compared to the rest of the country: while on 17 March the incidence in Limburg was 1.5 times the average incidence for the country, this had already increased to 1.9 times the average incidence on 21 March.[107] On 21 March it was observed that more than half of the patients in the hospital Oost-Limburg in Genk were from Turkish origin. Secretary of state Zuhal Demir urged the Turkish community in Limburg to abide by the quarantine measures.[108]

Recoveries

The first recovered case was on 15 February 2020.[109] Sciensano reported a total of 350 recoveries (9.3 % of confirmed cases) as of 23 March.

Deaths

In the period between 17 March and 21 March the number of deaths due to COVID-19 doubled on average every 1.4 days (64 % daily increase). Of the 67 first fatalities 1 was in the category 25 to 44 years of age, 2 were in the category 45 to 64 years of age, 32 in the category 65 to 84 years and 32 in the category of 85 years and older. The youngest fatality overall in Belgium was 39 years old.[110]

Template:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic data/Belgium medical cases

Total cases in Belgium

Graphs

Confirmed new cases per day in Belgium

Source: Sciensano[111] (Belgisch Instituut voor Volksgezondheid)

Confirmed new cases in Belgium by region

Source: Sciensano[112] (Belgisch Instituut voor Volksgezondheid)

Confirmed new hospitalizations per day in Belgium
Confirmed deaths per day in Belgium
Semi-logarithmic graph of the number of confirmed cases, intensive care cases and deaths in Belgium as of 2020-03-21
Graph of the number of daily confirmed cases and deaths in Belgium as of 2020-03-21
Logistic growth model fit for confirmed COVID-19 cases in Belgium for data from 07/03/2020 until 24/03/2020. The fit stabilises at 9689 cases and has an initial exponential growth of 24.0 %. Beyond 25 March the curves shown are only a prediction according to the logistic growth model and these have an uncertainty range associated to them.

References

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allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special%3ADiff%2F947311613