Antwerp man offered coronavirus jab while on a daytrip in Liège
Last Monday Jan De Zutter from Antwerp when on a daytrip to the Walloon city of Liège. While enjoying the sights in the city that in times past was one of the powerhouses of the Belgian economy Jan was somewhat surprised to be offered a coronavirus vaccine by someone that approached him on the street.
Unbeknown to Jan, he and his wife were outside a building that is being used as a vaccination centre by the Walloon authorities. The centre had some vaccines left over and someone from the centre had been sent outside to find people that wanted to get a jab.
Jan De Zutter and his wife had travelled from Antwerp to Liège to visit an exhibition. He told the daily ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ that in normal times they would have gone for a drink at a bar with a pavement terrace afterwards. However, as bars are still closed this was not an option, so they decided to find a local bakery to go and buy a cake. While looking for a bakery they were approached by a man.
"He asked if we had a vaccination appointment to which I answered that we were just tourists. He then asked if I would like to get vaccinated. I was very surprised and said that of course I would. I asked myself if I they could just vaccinate me like that given that I live in Antwerp”.
It soon emerged that without realising it Jan and his wife were in fact outside a vaccination centre.
“It was a former Decathlon sports shop that had been converted into a vaccination centre. It seems that they had some AstraZeneca vaccines left and they were looking for people that wanted a jab. I am very pleased that I was given one”.
Jan’s wife wasn’t vaccinated as the staff at the vaccination centre were looking only for people over the age of 54 and she is younger.
Jan says that he has no idea when or where he will be given his second vaccine dose. “I have been given a telephone number that I can call. I hope that I can get my second jab in Antwerp. If I can’t so be it, because Liège is such a pleasant city".