Mar The restrictions were eased on some points. [164] These events led to severe criticism addressing the Flemish minister of public health Wouter Beke. President's Address to the Nation on the Coronavirus, March 11, 2020. “Over two decades, Gavi has helped an additional 822 million children from the world’s most vulnerable countries access critical, life-saving vaccines”, said Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. [12][170], Steven Van Gucht from Sciensano explained this was partly due to a difference in counting, compared to other countries. Total cases in Belgium (cumulative) [233][specify] Belgian researchers at the Royal Observatory of Belgium noticed a drop of the background noise on the seismic data that could be the result of transport networks and other human activities being shut down. Visitors to a pub have to wear face coverings at least until they have found a seat. Since the 13 March, the FPS Health together with the National Crisis Centre (NCCN) has held a daily press conference[119] led by spokesmen Benoît Ramacker, Peter Mertens and Yves Stevens with doctors Steven Van Gucht and Emmanuel André. Because of the use of actual dates and as some delay occurs in reporting, all figures are subject to retrospective updating. 2020-05-06: 110 deaths reported for last 24h and 229 deaths in hospitals reported additionally for the period between 24 March and 4 May (inclusive). The total number of death cases in Belgium also includes suspected death cases, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Shortages related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, national public health institute of Belgium, COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory, "Mystery deepens over animal source of coronavirus", "One repatriated Belgian has tested positive for the novel coronavirus", "6 new cases of Covid-19 by the end of the spring holidays", "Seven confirmed coronavirus cases in Belgium following holiday week", "Covert coronavirus infections could be seeding new outbreaks", "United Kingdom Coronavirus: 301,815 Cases and 42,461 Deaths - Worldometer", "Coronavirus: Why so many people are dying in Belgium", "Analysis: Can we trust Belgium's COVID-19 death statistics? Greece is helping to combat the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on developing countries. It is estimated that the actual number of cases is much higher than the number of confirmed cases,[236] the tests being limited to specific people and/or to people with severe symptoms. Oct [217] Talks between political parties continued the next hours and were extended to Ecolo, Groen, cdH and DéFI. [178], Belgian authorities however defend their strategy for being the most transparent and the most detailed method,[177] even if it results in numbers that are "sometimes overestimated". (Data from the last two days still have to be consolidated by Sciensano. July and September 2020. The youngest fatality overall in Belgium was a 12-year-old girl[243][244] while the oldest person to die was 104 years. Belgium . May [52], From 422 samples analysed on 7 March 31 were reported positive on 8 March (16 in Flanders, eight in Brussels and seven in Wallonia), bringing the number of infections to 200. [23], On 24 February, following the spread of the COVID-19 in northern Italy, a hundred Belgian citizens were put in quarantine in the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife that was put on lockdown. [10] However, Belgium may have been over-reporting the number of cases, with health officials reporting that suspected cases were being reported along with confirmed cases. [45] The EDA cancelled all meetings until 13 March, and other EU institutions also took precautions. [11] Unlike many other countries, which publish figures based primarily on confirmed hospital deaths, the death figures reported by the Belgian authorities include deaths in the community, especially in care homes, confirmed to have been caused by the coronavirus, as well as a much larger number of such deaths suspected to have been caused by the virus, even if the person was not tested. [1], In the period between 17 and 21 March the number of deaths due to COVID-19 doubled on average every 1.4 days (64 % daily increase). The employees affected included some with important tasks in the nuclear power plant. [133][obsolete source], When the first measures were taken by the Belgian government on 10 March, in the form of recommendations, some expressed that more drastic measures were required, like Professors Herman Goossens and Marc Van Ranst who questioned the set limit of maximum 1,000 people for indoor events. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to have an expert panel review any Covid-19 vaccine application for emergency use, along with at … [182] For example, between 5 March and 5 April, Belgium reported 2,373 COVID-19 deaths with the excess mortality being estimated around 3,000. [209][210] Eventually around mid-April, two Belgian companies specialised in workwear and interiors for cars, announced they will together start producing surgical masks and FFP2 respirators.[211]. [64] The high level of cases in the affluent municipality of Bonheiden is thought to be linked with the number of travellers who had returned from ski resorts in the North of Italy around the beginning of March. The global effort to develop a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is likely to soon produce one or more authorized vaccines. ", "Universiteit Hasselt leidt Europees onderzoek naar verspreiding corona", "Voorspellingen wiskundige griezelig accuraat: "Model voorspelde 895 positieve tests, voor morgen 1.151. [162] But as that deadline wasn't met, on Saturday 4 April, several care homes started to execute tests on their own. [100][specify], On 20 March at 3 pm Belgium closed its borders to all non-essential travel. In September an average of more than 30,000 tests were carried out daily compared to ca. [48] The new cases were reported to be in Knokke-Heist, Zonhoven, Doomkerke [nl] (Ruiselede) and Vlierzele (part of Sint-Lievens-Houtem).[49]. [77] The mortality peak would follow a bit later, and was retrospectively observed to have occurred on 12 April. Every day, the latest developments on the epidemiological situation in Belgium are reported, with the new figures of confirmed cases, hospitalised patients and deaths, as well as general explanations and forecasts, or reminders of the need to respect the social distancing measures. [149] On 20 March, a shipment from China of 5 million masks arrived at the airport of Bierset, but these were surgical masks and not the type of respirators required to protect the medical staff. [138], Some media made positive criticism, such as the Financial Times who praised Belgium for its handling of the coronavirus crisis,[139] claiming Belgium had shown that "a fragmented country" could still produce a clear response to the pandemic – by taking decisive actions earlier than other countries – and pointing out the daily briefings are not held by politicians but by scientific experts and spokespersons. [18][16], Feb [198], Attempts to predict the progress of the coronavirus spread with compartmental models are undertaken at Ghent University (Prof Jan M. Baetens)[199] and Hasselt University (Prof Niel Hens). [147][148] On 16 March, De Standaard reported that De Block had blundered by ordering all 5 million masks from a single company (M.O.S.S.A. [61], On 21 March it was observed that more than half of the patients in the hospital Oost-Limburg in Genk were of Turkish origin. Conditions générales de vente - [example needed] For example, Chinese New Year celebrations were cancelled at the University of Leuven.[230][relevant? [234][235], The number of confirmed infections is the number of samples tested positive by a reference laboratory. Experts like Marc Wathelet, a virologist specialised in coronaviruses, urged for strict prevention measures, affirming that the Belgian federal minister of health Maggie De Block was underestimating the danger[129] and Professor in microbiology Herman Goossens of the UZA [nl] in Antwerp, called for wider screening for the virus. Cases and hospitalisations: data collected by. This page was last edited on 30 December 2020, at 06:29. [200] Professor Barbé at the Free University of Brussels-VUB uses a first order differential equation with two proxy variables. On 7 March 60 new cases were confirmed by the government (40 in Flanders, five in Brussels and 15 in Wallonia), bringing the total to 169 (105 in Flanders, 17 in Brussels, 46 in Wallonia and one recovered). [181], When several countries published excess mortality figures, it appeared that the criticised way[who?] (Data from the last two days still have to be consolidated by Sciensano. [69], As of 29 March, around 20,000 Belgian citizens were stuck abroad due to travel restrictions worldwide, many in Peru, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. [106], On 6 March, Federal Minister of Public Health Maggie De Block criticised EU governments for blocking the export of medical masks at a time when global stocks were decreasing, asserting that they were acting against the spirit of the European Union. This was only the third time the infection of a companion animal by its human companion had been reported worldwide. Belgium had then passed the milestone of 100,000 confirmed coronavirus infections. Thursday, 24 December 2020. [238] The number of recovered people who were tested positive but not admitted to hospital remains unknown as there is no follow-up on these cases. Nine of the new infected individuals had recently returned from Italy. ", "Optimisme kwam zoals gevreesd te vroeg: "Modellen voorspellen piek begin april, "Opnieuw 205 doden, maar 'voor eerst daling van aantal gehospitaliseerde patiënten, "Belgium's Prince Joachim apologises for Spanish lockdown party", "Kaap van 100.000 besmettingen overschreden in België, cijfers blijven stijgen", "Corona in België. E.g. [107] On 19 March, a shipment of 100,000 FFP2 respirators arrived. [192], Research to find a vaccine against COVID-19, medication for the lung disease or new test methods are concentrated in Belgium amongst others at the KU Leuven (vaccine and new medication, Prof Johan Neyts),[193][194] at the University of Namur (new test method, Benoït Muylkens)[195] and by private companies in collaboration with universities (new 15-minute test method detecting coronavirus antigens, CORIS BioConcept). The COVID-19 pandemic in Albania is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).The first case in the Republic of Albania was reported in Tirana on 8 March 2020, when a patient and his adult son who had come from Florence, Italy tested positive. For example, on 1 June 2020, it was reported that there had been 819 deaths per one million head of population, compared to 442 in France, 580 in Spain, 592 in the United Kingdom,[9] and seven in Japan. Many people go on ski vacation during that period and the number of detected virus infections rose sharply upon the return of people from holidays in affected areas. Contact - [179] According to Steven Van Gucht, responsible for the reporting strategy, the suspected deaths are being counted as COVID-19 deaths because not everyone can be tested[179] but said this way of counting saved lives by pointing to the dire situation the care homes were in. Last updated: December 28, 2020, 17:23 GMT. 18 residents later died.[87]. – discuss], The amount of traffic on Belgian roads dropped sharply after shutdown measures were implemented: traffic dropped by 45% and the structural traffic jams disappeared completely. The dates above are the dates of reporting which can be different than the actual dates of diagnosis or death. Those breaking the rules could be fined up to 250 Euros. [128], While the COVID-19 was already spreading to all regions of Italy in late February, the Belgian government has been criticised for its lack of action. For example, as of 11 May, all shops are allowed to be open for the public but under certain conditions (e.g. [78] The peak was 417 deaths in 24 hours. The vaccines division of GlaxoSmithKline, which has its headquarters in Belgium, helped with providing its infrastructure and staff free of charge to carry out at least 6,000 PCR tests per day on their Rixensart site,[212] participating in an increase of the number of analyses in the country, as of 9 April. Apr Le 31 décembre, les repas festifs seront amenés aux sans-abri et aux personnes isolées. [229][specify], The closures and bans ordered by the authorities led to cancellation of many events in the country. Conditions générales d’utilisation - [171][172] In Belgium, around 46% of the COVID-19 deaths occurred in hospital and 53% occurred in care homes; and while the deaths in hospital are all confirmed by a test, only 5% of the deaths in care homes are confirmed by a test, the other 95% being suspected cases. De Croo said that the restrictions would remain in place until at least mid-December. [145] On 15 March De Standaard newspaper reported that the masks had not been delivered on time,[146] and the following day De Block announced that her department's order of 5 million masks might have involved fraud. [needs update]. [71], Jan Eyckmans of the Federal Public Service Health claimed hospitals increased their number of ICUs from 1900 to 2650 over a period of two weeks time, corresponding to an increase from 16.5 to 23.0 ICUs per 100,000 inhabitants. The numbers of new cases, deaths and tests are still incomplete for this day. Belgium hands powers to caretaker PM to fight Covid-19 after 15-month stalemate This article is more than 8 months old Warring parties agree to … [157][158], In Belgium, the organisation of care homes falls under the regional authorities. [160][161] On Wednesday 1 April, the government finally promised to also provide more tests to the care homes by the end of the week. It was strongly disapproved by Minister President of Flanders Jan Jambon who called it detrimental to the spread of the virus. [62], On 26 March, Sciensano published a map that showed that the highest recorded concentrations of infections were found in Alken and Sint-Truiden (Limburg) and Quévy and Honnelles (Hainaut). [54], On 11 March, the first death on Belgian territory due to COVID-19 was reported,[55] of a 90-year-old female patient from Brussels who was being treated in Etterbeek. Efforts to address the coronavirus outbreak in Belgium are 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 [fr] (MR, French Community), Alain Maron [fr] (Ecolo, Brussels), Elke Van den Brandt [nl] (Groen, Brussels) and Barbara Trachte [fr] (Ecolo, Brussels),[89] with the support of: 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. [183] According to professor Yves Van Laethem, Belgium uses the approach recommended by the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which congratulated Belgium for choosing this approach. (Data from the last two days still have to be consolidated by Sciensano. In an apparent effort at transparency, a daily epidemiological bulletin and a set of raw data are made available on the Belgian Institute for Health website. By the end of March all 10 provinces of the country had registered cases. The yearly one week school holiday around carnival lasted from 22 February until 1 March 2020. the Risk Assessment Group (RAG) presided by Sciensano; the Risk Management Group (RMG) led by Paul Pardon MD; the Scientific Committee for Coronavirus (Steven Van Gucht. Coronavirus. [174], This way of counting was criticised by Flemish Minister for Tourism, Zuhal Demir, as it would portray Belgium as bad in the fight against coronavirus and also would harm the Belgian reputation of being a prominent country in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The total number of recoveries is therefore underestimated, particularly in a context where there are many undetected positive cases presenting mild symptoms and recovering as well. The hotspot in Alken is thought to have been caused because of two parties that were allowed to gather over the weekend of 7 March. While the neighbouring Netherlands had an estimated excess mortality of 6,200, with only 3,197 reported COVID-19 deaths in that same period. The cat had developed respiratory and digestive problems. Cafes and restaurants were allowed to be open as of 8 June. [228], From 12 March onwards many people started hoarding for the next one and a half-week. [201][202] University of Antwerp, with the assistance of KU Leuven and Hasselt University, launched a study to assess the impact of the containment measures and the evolution of the epidemic in Belgium, through a series of online surveys. ), Change of hospitalisations per day in Belgium, Active cases in hospital per day (incl. La princesse Eléonore, le prince Gabriel, la reine Mathilde, le roi des Belges Philippe, la princesse Elisabeth et le prince Emmanuel de Belgique à Bruxelles, le 16 décembre 2020 We examine how different definitions and … This was due to underreporting by a lab in the province. - L'Avenir With people who are not part of your bubble, safety distance had to be respected. Nov [95], On 10 March, the government advised citizens to cancel any indoor scheduled events to be attended by more than 1,000 people for the month of March. COVID-19 confirmed cases in Belgium by gender and age (, COVID-19 deaths in Belgium by gender and age (, COVID-19 confirmed cases in Belgium by gender (. Some bars and cafes have raised funds by selling advance vouchers that are redeemable when the establishments reopen. [6][7] The epidemic increased rapidly in March–April 2020. [44], 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. ", "Le nombre de personnes guéries, l'autre chiffre sous-estimé", "Covid-19 : combien y a-t-il de personnes guéries en France ? Causing still an underreporting of around 600 deaths. 5 articles recommandés par la rédaction. Accueil; Monde; Covid-19 : les Italiens remis sous cloche pour Noël et le Nouvel An. 3 mei", "Coronavirus: EU ministers urge members to share supplies", "Coronavirus: 100.000 masques FFP2 sont arrivés ce jeudi à Liège et seront immédiatement distribués", "Coronavirus: Alibaba gives Belgium 500,000 mouth masks", "De Backer moet tekort aan mondmaskers tegengaan", "Belgium increases COVID-19 testing capacity to 10,000 test a day", "Coronavirus: Belgium pours €5 million into efforts to fast-track vaccine", "Coronavirus: la Belgique est très bien préparée, selon Maggie De Block", "Minister De Block: "Kans is reëel dat coronavirus naar ons land komt, maar er is een plan, "COVID-19: Press conference – streaming and archives", "Coronavirus - Mijn boodschap aan de Belgische bevolking", "Coronavirus - Message à la population belge", "Last night's "lock-down parties" trigger indignation", "De coronapiek komt, al de rest is onzeker", "Brussel betreurt de helft van de corona-overlijdens tot nu toe, maar die cijfers geven een vertekend beeld", "King Filip calls on Belgians to respect the COVID-19 measures "for ourselves and for the most vulnerable among us, "Lettre ouverte à la ministre de la Santé publique : "Coronavirus, il faut savoir écouter la peur, "Experts oneens over aanpak coronavirus: "Patiënt was niet gevonden als we richtlijnen overheid hadden gevolgd, "Apothekers kregen nog steeds geen specifieke instructies over corona: "Wij zitten nochtans in de vuurlinie, "Vlaamse rusthuizen eisen verbod op bezoek", "Professoren Goossens en Van Ranst: "Draconische maatregelen zijn nodig, zoals alle evenementen schrappen, "Open brief van Vlaamse rectoren en experts: "Het coronavirus is ernstig, aan vrijblijvende richtlijnen hebben we niets, "Coronavirus: Knokke jusqu'au 30 avril en "lockdown, "Coronavirus crisis brings fragmented Brussels together", "Financial Times vol lof over Belgische aanpak coronacrisis", "Steven Van Gucht: rustig, empathisch en heerlijk helder", "There Aren't Enough Medical Masks to Fight Coronavirus. [113], At the outset, the Belgian authorities, mostly through their federal Minister of health Maggie De Block, had focused on reassuring by asserting that there was no reason to panic,[114] that Belgium has good hospitals and laboratories[115] and that the government was attentive to the evolution and well prepared for the possible arrival of coronavirus. [37] Four cases were in the Leuven area,[38] one case in Hasselt,[39] and one in Pelt. The EU has an agreement in place with US firm Moderna for 160 million doses of its experimental vaccine. [110], While the number of tests capped at 3,500 and 4,500 a day, an increase in stocks of the required materials[further explanation needed] was announced early April by the Federal Minister Philippe De Backer, to improve the testing capacity to 10,000 tests a day. [126] On 21 March, Prof. Dr. Erika Vlieghe of the Scientific Committee mentioned that she expected the peak of the pandemic to occur in early April. Just as many countries in the world,[142] Belgium faced a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators, surgical masks or face shields. She also instructed "all colleagues in non-critical functions" to work from home with immediate effect until 5 April, while those "who ensure critical functions" would need to work in two shifts to minimize the risk of contagion. The rule of the bubble of 5 was changed: each person in a household could have closer contact with up to 5 persons, with different persons each month.[85]. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when one of a group of nine Belgians repatriated from Wuhan to Brussels was reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus. [186], Even if Belgium belongs to the EU's top five in terms of intensive care unit (ICU) capacity, with a number quoted to be around 15.9[187][188] to 16.5[189] ICUs per 100 000 inhabitants before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Belgian hospitals started to increase their number of intensive care units around 10 March. [12] Such differences in methods of counting complicate any attempt to compare death rates in different countries. [222], Just as most airlines in the world,[223] the national flag carrier Brussels Airlines suspended all its commercial flights as of 21 March, originally until 19 April[224] but delayed the restart of operations first till 15 May,[225] then till 1 June,[226] then gradually from 15 June. ), Tests and new confirmed cases per day in Belgium The official reports from the national public health institute of Belgium do not refer to recovered people but only to discharged patients. of counting caused the reported COVID-19 death toll in Belgium to be closer to the excess mortality figures, compared to other countries. Covid oblige, la Belgique refuse d’assouplir les règles pour les fêtes de fin d’année… [140] De Standaard praised Steven Van Gucht, president of the Scientific Committee, for being "calm, empathic and wonderfully clear".[141]. [65] While the high incidence in Honnelles could be linked to an outbreak in a centre for disabled people, the mayor of Quévy had no idea what caused the large outbreak in her municipality but complained of the lack of communication and protective equipment. ", "Emergency government thanks to coronavirus crisis? Care organisations accused the minister of losing 3 weeks time, and being very late with an emergency plan. [88] At that time the possibility of further infections could not be ruled out. [1], Sciensano started to publish a map with incidence numbers per municipality starting 26 March. Presidential Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020 Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak (as printed in the Federal Register, March 18, 2020, 85 FR 15337). [28], As of 3 March, six further cases were confirmed, making a total of 14 cases. Protection de la vie privée - [143][144] On 8 March, Maggie De Block stated she had a solution for the shortage of masks but was unwilling to disclose the potential vendor and the number of masks involved. Politique de cookies - The number of testing was now much increased. ", "België wereldleider aantal overlijdens per 100.000 inwoners: "Onze telwijze heeft levens gered, "313 overlijdens in een dag: België telt meeste doden per 100.000 inwoners wereldwijd", "40,000 Missing Deaths: Tracking the True Toll of the Coronavirus Outbreak", "Belgium boasts coronavirus death count accuracy", "UZA test patiënten op coronavirus in aparte containers", "Red Cross to support Brussels, Liège hospitals in coronavirus screenings", "Charting Europe's capacity to deal with the coronavirus crisis", "Geert Meyfroidt: "Wellicht grootste nachtmerrie uit mijn carrière, "Corona fund: support research into COVID-19", "Coronavirus: Brussels hospital calls for donations to buy life-saving ventilators", "Leuven in race naar vaccin tegen Chinees longvirus", "Bill Gates bestelt grote coronastudie in Leuven", "New test to diagnose coronavirus developed by University of Namur", "Coronavirus: Belgium develops 15-minute virus test", "UZ Brussel test alle patiënten systematisch: 8 procent van de niet-covidpatiënten toch besmet", "What is herd immunity and can it stop the coronavirus? [57], On 12 March, two new infections were detected as well as 32 suspected cases in retirement home Ter Kameren in Watermael-Boitsfort, one of the biggest retirement homes of the Brussels region. Numbers about hospitalisations are from 15 Mars, date from which >99% of hospitals were notifying. [245], On 25 March 2020, Belgium ranked 6th in the list of EU countries with the highest numbers of casualties, while on 1 April Belgium had the third highest death toll after Italy and Spain. Jul Aug Mid September, an average of 1,100 new infections per day were counted. Secretary of State Zuhal Demir urged the Turkish community in Limburg to abide by the quarantine measures. [221][specify], Belgian companies suffer from the corona crisis, such as producers of fries who reported a drop in demand for potato specialities. "Manier van tellen is anders, "Van Gucht: 'We trekken ons best niets aan van internationale ranking van coronadoden, "The trends of the last days seem to persist", "Waarom je coronacijfers van landen niet zomaar kunt vergelijken", "Coronavirus: Belgium's high death toll will deter tourists", "Nieuw gemor over Belgische rapportering coronadoden", "Belgium says transparency explains high virus death toll", "Coronavirus: Counting all deaths in care centres is 'dumb, "Why does Belgium have so many Coronavirus deaths? 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 one recovered). May [83], On 17 September, at least 77 youngsters from West Flanders tested positive for COVID-19 after a holiday in the Portuguese resort of Albufeira. As of end July and during August and September the number of new corona infections per day began to rise again in Belgium. On 11 March the care homes were closed for all visitors in Wallonia and Brussels, and a day later in Flanders. [93][further explanation needed] 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, sports facilities and public places for persons returning from areas at risk[94] and only a few schools, such as the International School Ghent, quarantined pupils returning from infected areas, such as Northern Italy. COVID-19 vaccines will likely treble or quadruple that number, depending on the number that are ultimately produced and secured by UNICEF. [175][176] Some doctors complained that deaths caused by other pathologies and causes have been lumped into the COVID-19 category. [needs update] [41] The Flemish Agency for Care and Health advised the school not to close down. [127], 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". [13][14] First reports of the coronavirus disease started to appear in the Belgian media around 8 January. Jun [50] The FPS Health then confirmed for the first time that infections had occurred in Belgium. [196], Studies conducted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel on patients that were being treated for small procedures and who did not have COVID-19 symptoms, showed that approximately 8 % had an infection in the lungs and were infected with the coronavirus,[197] confirming the suspicion that many people are infected with the coronavirus without knowing and as herd immunity would prevent the spread of the coronavirus.