“Mutations rapidly gaining ground across Belgium”
Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Flemish socialist) has voiced concern about new variants of coronavirus, which he says are fast gaining ground in Belgium. “Danger is on the horizon” he told VRT. “On the one hand we can see the finish thanks to vaccines, but on the road, dangers persist, as a result of virus mutations. The data are alarming. Mutations are rapidly gaining ground everywhere in Belgium. There is a wave under the waterline. It’s an epidemic in an epidemic. We are unsure the vaccine will work on the South African variant. Producers need to provide more explanation.”
The health minister urged us all to be careful in daily life, to wear a face covering, wash our mits, avoid contact with others and be extremely careful: “No, we shouldn’t get desperate, but test, isolate, vaccinate” he told VRT.
Mr Vandenbroucke identified the worry that the health system and hospitals could be overwhelmed as the biggest concern.
“This virus is disrupting the whole system. We are seeing cancers that are too far developed, people roaming about with a heart attack. Far fewer people with Covid need to be in hospital. Difficult weeks lie ahead, but there are positive factors: 190,000 people have been vaccinated.”