Archived: Belgium's fifth wave of coronavirus, January-March 20220

What's the latest?

Some 35 leading Belgian scientists and doctors have written an open letter expressing concern for the country's 100,000 immunocompromised people if Belgium's coronavirus restrictions are eased too quickly. While the coronavirus barometer could turn yellow if the epidemiological situation continues to improve, people with a weak immunity will still have to strictly limit their social contacts, the signatories warn. The experts are calling for Pfizer's anti-Covid drug Paxlovid to be approved for this vulnerable group of patients. It's an antiviral drug administered orally at the onset of the first symptoms of the disease. While it has been approved by the European Medicines Agency and is already available in France, Paxlovid is still unavailable in Belgium. If it is, nothing says that the available doses will be sufficient. Belgium has only ordered 10,000 doses, compared to a million in Germany and the Netherlands and 500,000 in France. "Immunocompromised patients remain the forgotten people in this pandemic, when they should today be the subject of the greatest attention," the signatories write.

"We are slowly but surely heading towards the end of the fifth wave," said interfederal spokesman Yves Van Laethem at public health institute Sciensano's weekly press conference. "In terms of intensive care occupancy, we are within the criteria of 'code orange' on the coronavirus barometer, and it is not impossible that next week we will go below the threshold of 300 occupied intensive care beds, thus fulfilling the criteria of the yellow code." However, in terms of hospitalisation numbers, we will have to wait until March to fall below 65 daily admissions, which is the threshold for code yellow.

The omicron variant was first detected in Belgium on 24 November. Two months later, it now accounts for 98% of all new recorded infections.

The peak in the fifth wave of coronavirus infections in Brussels has been reached, according to the Common Community Commission (Cocom). The infection rate in the Brussels region is now 0.88%, said Cocom's coronavirus manager Inge Neven. Some 41% of the Brussels population have had their booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Neven warned that 220,000 people in Brussels risk losing their Covid Safe Ticket in March if they do not book a booster dose appointment soon.

"If the numbers continue to move in this way, they could be low enough in mid-February to go to code orange on the barometer,” said virologist and Scensano spokesman Steven Van Gucht. Code orange applies when new hospitalisations are between 65 and 149 (it's currently 364). One of the big changes under code orange is the lifting of an imposed closing time for cafes and restaurants. Indoor events with spectators standing would also be allowed again. Other indoor recreational activities could have an increased capacity - and no capacity limits at all outdoors.

Widespread vaccination is not going to be enough to stop coronavirus, epidemiologist Marius Gilbert has told the federal parliament's health committee - suggesting that so-called "barrier gestures" will remain in place for some time to come. "Even if we had had 100% vaccination at the time of the delta wave, because of the drop in vaccine effectiveness, it probably would not have been enough," he said. "I think vaccination must combine with other elements especially during the winter period when containing transmission is more complicated." Gilbert said more needed to be done to inform people who are reluctant to get vaccinated. "It becomes difficult to communicate with fellow citizens by saying 'the vaccine will protect you from infection'," he said. "Instead it is important to emphasise that the vaccine can reduce the severity of the illness, which is disputed by absolutely no one."

Belgium's new "coronavirus barometer" has come into force. It is initially set to "code red". Cafes and restaurants must maintain the six-people-per-table limit and close by midnight. Amateur sports and youth activities can go ahead with up to 80 people indoors and 200 outdoors. Spectators are allowed again at football matches and other professional sports fixtures. Indoor leisure venues such as bowling alleys and casinos can open - but nightclubs and dance halls cannot. Culture venues can fill 70% of seats - or 100% if they can keep CO2 levels below 900ppm. The Covid Safe Ticket is required for events with more than 50 participants indoors and 100 outdoors.

The peak of the fifth wave of coronavirus in Belgium may have already been reached, according to biostatistician Geert Moelenberghs. He said he was hopeful that the coronavirus barometer would switch from red to orange in February.

Federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke said starting the barometer on code red was justified: "We are still seeing a very large number of hospitalisations per day. We must hope that the situation will improve in the coming weeks." He said the code-red rules were not too strict: "We have decided to give a lot of flexibility given the health context we are in. I know that for cafes and restaurants, one extra hour does more does not change things very much, but we have nevertheless decided on significant relaxations for the sports sector, culture and events. If we want to reopen life in a sustainable way, we must proceed step by step, even if I know that it is frustrating."

Belgian authorities are no longer using anonymous mobile phone location data in the fight against coronavirus. A report by Knack magazine claims all the data collected and analysed by the "Data Against Corona" taskforce was destroyed last December. David Stevens, president of the Belgian Data Protection Authority, said he was "relieved", although the authority has not yet been able to verify the report. "Data Against Corona" was set up in March 2020 by the federal government under then-prime minister Sophie Wilmès. Anonymised location data from Proximus, Base and Orange was used to map the movements of people around the country.

Omicron is not the last variant of coronavirus that we will see in Belgium. "It is not being pessimistic to say that there will be others," said virologist Emmanuel André. "This virus knows how to mutate to continue to evade our immune system and will continue to do so. Omicron circulates widely and that circulation promotes the emergence of new variants."

Marius Gilbert, epidemiologist at ULB, said: "For me, it is too early to say that with omicron there is a disconnect between cases and hospitalisations. To say that we can let it circulate freely is a step too far. It would be very risky to say that at this stage." Philippe Devos, deputy head of intensive care at CHC hospital in Liège, added: "We do not yet have enough data on Omicron and it could still have some unpleasant surprises in store for us. Today, hospitals remain on the alert. All the models point to possible problems for the last fortnight of January or even for the beginning of February."

The fifth wave of coronavirus in Belgium "has indeed started", says virologist Steven Van Gucht, with average daily infection numbers up 82% in a week. According to experts' forecasts, the peak can be reached in mid-January. At this period, we could reach between 30,000 and 125,000 new cases per day, depending on the testing strategy.

Belgium is "still in the ascending phase" of the fifth wave, with record numbers of confirmed cases of coronavirus, says virologist Steven Van Gucht. "Never before has coronavirus circulated so widely in our country," he said. Nonetheless, the situation in hospitals "remains manageable", he added. "We are in the middle of the exponential phase of the fifth wave," adds virologist Yves Van Laethem, who said the increase in infections was most prevalent among 10 to 19-year-olds. But he added: "Omicron is currently more manageable than delta."

Virologist Marc Van Ranst is optimistic about Belgium's coronavirus situation. "We are seeing figures stabilise in other countries. While our curve is going up spectacularly now, I don't expect it to last very long," he said. The situation in hospitals is the figure to watch closely. "The disease seems less serious and we must therefore start to adapt our thinking about it," Van Ranst added. "It's becoming closer to flu, and we'll see it every year." But he added: "The flu is certainly not something we should underestimate, but it is something we know about. It will cause more deaths than we are used to, because some people will have flu and Covid at the same time."

A recent demonstration against the coronavirus restrictions in Brussels attracted somewhere between 5,000 and 20,000 participants, according to estimates from police and organisers respectively. The march was mostly peaceful. Police made 30 administrative arrests and a handful of judicial arrests for vandalism and violence. Organisers said the march attracted "people from all walks of life and all faiths, coming together to make it clear that we will not tolerate the Covid Safe Ticket. Vaccinated and unvaccinated people, from the left and right, are getting the message across that there needs to be a policy that chooses to unite rather than divide and polarise - a government that chooses supportive measures instead of repressive measures." Prime minister Alexander De Croo said that while a few thousand people were protesting against the coronavirus measures, there was "a very large silent majority doing the right thing".

The consultative committee once again did not follow the expert advice it received from the GEMS panel, its chair Erika Vlieghe revealed. The experts had called for remote working to become compulsory all week long, not just four days a week, and for capacity on public transport to be halved. "It's regrettable that we are not doing more to reduce infections," Vlieghe said. "We should not be communicating optimistic messages at the moment like: 'It's not so bad.'"

A quarter of new coronavirus infections in Belgium are within the Brussels region, said interfederal spokesman Steven Van Gucht. Young people, in their 20s, are the most-affected age group. Van Gucht said the Brussels population was comparatively "less vaccinated, more mobile at an international level and younger, therefore carrying out more activities with close contacts".

The federal government often reminds us of the importance of good ventilation. But how well does it follow its own advice? Het Nieuwsblad reports that the CO² meter at Thursday's consultative committee press conference reached alarming levels. Initially at 700ppm, the reading climbed to 1,000 and eventually 1,200ppm as more journalists entered the room. The prime minister's press officers looked visibly worried, the newspaper added, and tried asking some photographers to leave the room in mid-conference to get the figure down.

Belgium's Princess Elisabeth polar research station in Antarctica is in quarantine until 12 January after two-thirds of the 25 staff present were infected with coronavirus. A first positive Covid case was detected on 14 December among a group of researchers who had arrived seven days earlier. The infected person was immediately placed in isolation, but two other passengers on the flight also tested postive. Since then, the virus has spread rapidly among the team. The building, being particularly well-insulated, proved to be an environment conducive to the spread of the virus. All staff on the base were fully vaccinated. The Strategic Council of the Polar Secretariat has chosen to keep the infected staff on the site until the quarantine period is over, and then to shorten as much as possible the current research season. Two further research campaigns, planned for the coming weeks, have been postponed. According to a virologist consulted by the Polar Secretariat, it is highly likely that the infections at the base are the omicron variant, which represents 99% of all cases in South Africa, the stopover country before Antarctica.

Two meetings of the consultative committee are planned for January. The first will look at how the epidemiological situation has evolved over the Christmas holidays, including hospital data and the progress of the booster dose campaign. The current restrictions on culture, sport and nightlife will also be reassessed - but relaxed rules are unlikely to come immediately. Instead, sources suggest the committee will attempt to draw up a timeframe, to offer some perspective to these sectors for the coming months - much like Belgium's "summer plan" to ease coronavirus restrictions last year. A second meeting, in mid-January, will try to offer some more long-term visibility, including on the supply of vaccines and the future of testing facilities.

Culture

The Still Standing for Culture collective has called for "and end to the Covid Safe Ticket, once and for all". The representatives from Belgium's cultural sector say the CST scheme was never subject to regular evaluations into its effectiveness, as the government had promised. "The CST was presented to us as the only alternative to closure. This blackmail is coupled with injustice since cultural venues must require a CST while other activities are exempt,” the collective said.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a boom in book sales in Belgium. Dilibel, one of the largest distributors of books in French-speaking Belgium with almost a 30% market share, said sales were up more than 20% in the past year. Sales of manga have more than doubled. "This is excellent news, even more when we see that it is young readers who buy them," said director Patrick Mollet. "Books are the only cultural medium that has come out of the pandemic well. Bookstores were quickly considered - intelligently by our government - as essential businesses, when all other cultural activities had been closed. Ten years ago, some said that the book was dead. We hope here that this resurgence will last over time." One independent bookstore owner in the centre of Brussels told RTBF: "Sales climbed 40% last year compared to 2019. In 2020, we were already up 25% despite several weeks of closure during the stay-at-home period. It's incredible to be able to say that, when you see the damage it has done to other businesses."

Several nightclubs in Belgium planned to open at precisely midnight on Thursday night, as the interior ministry published the decree confirming that the nightlife sector could reopen. Clubgoers will need a valid Covid Safe Ticket and venues must limit their capacity to 70%. Cafes will be also be allowed to stay open after midnight and allow customers to order and drink at the bar. The enforced closing time for night shops will also be lifted.

The province of Walloon Brabant has launched a promotional campaign to encourage people to go back to the cinema - and support a sector that has suffered substantial losses due to the coronavirus crisis. The province has set aside €30,000 for the initiative, which will be spread gradually over February, March and April. Anyone buying an eligible cinema ticket (excluding weekends) will be offered a second one for free, paid for by the provincial authorities.

It's confirmed: cinemas, theatres, concert halls and culture centres can reopen, after the consultative committee on Wednesday announced a U-turn on last week's order to shut down indoor cultural events and activities. The rules set at the previous meeting on 3 December now stand: spectators must remain seated, wear a mask and, at events with more than 50 people, present a Covid Safe Ticket. Capacity is limited to 200 people.

This U-turn raises questions about future compliance with Belgium's other coronavirus measures. Bénédicte Linard, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation culture minister, says: "There are still months and months of the coronavirus crisis ahead of us. What is extremely important for the following consultative committees is that there be a consistency and meaning in the measures. Because if the public are not on our side, because there is no sense in the measures, we will have lost the battle against coronavirus." The sports sector, in particular, has been watching this week's developments closely and there are reportedly plans to challenge the ban on spectators at outdoor matches and fixtures.

Deputy prime minister Georges Gilkinet, from the Ecolo party, says lessons need to be learned from this past week's handling of the coronavirus crisis. The decision to shut down a large part of the culture sector, which went far beyond the official advice from the GEMS expert group, caused widespread condemnation from the sector itself and various politicians, and was struck down by the Council of State. Is it time to reassess how the consultative committee makes decisions? It is reported that the consultative committee will draw lessons from this week's debacle and consult further with political, scientific, economic and civil society experts on future decisions. Jean Faniel, director of the Centre for Sociopolitical Research and Information, believes the consultative committee should indeed be opened up to a wider range of voices. "When a secretary of state, who is not part of the Council of Ministers, is affected by a decision, they should be invited and involved in the discussion," he said. "Their involvement would end there. They would have no decision-making voice. It would still be up to the committee's members to reach a consensus." When the pandemic began, Sophie Wilmès relied on the national security council - a federal body - to decide on policy. Since then, the consultative committee has given a bigger say to Belgium's federated entities: its regions and language communities. But, adds Faniel, "the consultative committee has been made up of the same people since October 2020. Members who know each other well, with a history of tensions and negotiations. And maybe there is a silo effect that has set in."

Several theatres around Brussels reported a sudden surge in bookings for New Year's Eve performances after the Council of State struck down the consultative committee's order to close theatres. Cinemas and theatres can currently accommodate a maximum of 200 people, seated and wearing a mask, with the Covid Safe Ticket.

Covid Safe Ticket

It is time for the Covid Safe Ticket to disappear, according to Benoît Piedboeuf, head of the MR party in the federal parliament. Piedboeuf said the CST was a useful tool "to convince with regard to vaccination, but it is clear that very slowly it will have to be removed because it no longer really has the desired effect". However, he added that it could be necessary to reactivate the Covid Safe Ticket system in the autumn if the arrival of a more contagious variant coincided with the return to mainly indoor activities. The MR will plead for a downgrading of the coronavirus barometer to code orange at the consultative committee meeting on Friday.

Digitaal Vlaanderen, the web developer behind the Covid Safe Ticket system, has reminded people of the importance of getting a PCR test to confirm a positive result from a self-testing kit. A certificate of recovery, which is one of the criteria to obtain a Covid Safe Ticket, can only be generated 11 days after a positive PCR test. If you take a rapid antigen self-test and do not follow it up with a PCR, no certificate is obtainable.

An appeals court in Liège has dismissed a complaint from a campaign group against the Covid Safe Ticket, judging that the measure was "necessary and proportionate" in the fight against coronavirus. The court overturned an earlier ruling by a court in Namur, which had sided with the non-profit association which had argued that the CST contravened European law and violated the principle of equality. The Namur court had ordered the Walloon region in late November to stop using the CST within seven days or be fined €5,000 per day.

According to Steven Callens, an infectious disease expert and member of the Gems expert panel, it is time for the Covid Safe Ticket to be "reconsidered". He said: "Basically, it was designed to allow the economy and tourism to operate. But it was clumsily implemented because it is not a ticket to freedom. For me, a CST is useful if it fits into a well-defined framework. But is this still necessary with the less contagious omicron variant and the very high vaccination coverage? I do not believe so.

The Flemish parliament has followed Brussels and Wallonia in extending the use of the Covid Safe Ticket, which was due to expire at the end of this month. The decree does not give a precise end date - although the extension has been described as "temporary".

From 1 March, anyone who has not had their booster dose will find that their Covid Safe Ticket ceases to be valid 150 days after their second dose was administered. Previously the limit was 180 days. This means that anyone who had their second dose before 1 October will need to have their booster before the end of February to continue to be allowed access to restaurants and cultural events from 1 March.

The Covid Safe Ticket scheme has been extended by the Brussels government for a further three months. It was due to expire on 15 January, but will now continue until 15 April. Brussels health minister Alain Maron said the decision to extend the CST follows an opinion from the Risk Assessment Group, which pointed to the dangers of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Testing

Brussels' Common Community Commission has urged residents to get tested for coronavirus at their local pharmacy, to relieve the pressure on the region's eight testing centres. It said some centres "were much busier than others" - notably the Pachéco facility in central Brussels - while the drive-in testing facility at Heysel was "easily accessible and easy to use".

Belgium is spending €3 million per day on coronavirus PCR tests. Interfederal spokesman Steven Van Gucht believes it is time to adopt "a more targeted testing and tracing strategy, which targets vulnerable groups above all".

People who receive a positive result from a self-testing kit can now obtain a free code to book a PCR test, without having to first go via their GP. The self-assessment questionnaire on the official MaSanté website will be updated accordingly.

Allowing supermarkets to sell coronavirus self-testing kits has put pressure on pharmacies to offer more competitive prices. The Belgian Pharmaceutical Association said pharmacists had always been free to set their own prices, and these had dropped by between €5 and €6 on average. Competition from supermarkets - where tests can cost as little as €3 - is one factor. But another is a surge in supply. Self-tests are much more easily available today than they were during earlier stages of the pandemic.

The Brussels commune of Saint-Josse will reopen its free coronavirus testing centre on 10 January. Anyone can turn up without an appointment at Rue Mérinos 1b, Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00.

Almost half a million coronavirus PCR tests were carried out at various centres around the country between Christmas and New Year, with about 15% of the tests coming back positive. On 30 December, the last full day for which we have data from Sciensano, 15,999 cases of Covid-19 were detected. There were queues of up to 200 people outside the Pachéco testing centre in central Brussels on New Year's Eve.

Belgium's health ministers have agreed to relax the rules on quarantine and testing for people who become infected with coronavirus and their (vaccinated) close contacts. The decision has several goals: to avoid labs getting overstretched with too many PCR tests, to avoid people calling their GP needlessly, and to reduce absenteeism in the workplace. "We fear an outbreak of cases from Monday," said federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke. "And we absolutely want to prevent our testing system from cracking. We also want to avoid the saturation of GPs and let them do their work. The priority is therefore to test people who have symptoms. We have changed the testing strategy to be able to maintain testing of symptomatic people."

So what changes in practice? From next Monday (10 January), a person who tests positive must self-isolate for seven days and no longer 10. A high-risk contact who is fully vaccinated (booster dose, or less than five months since receiving their second dose) is no longer required to quarantine or take a test when they learn they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive. At the moment, they are required to quarantine for at least four days and perform daily self-tests for a few days after. For people who have not yet received their booster dose or who had their second jab more than five months ago, quarantine should last at least three days and self-tests must be carried out daily up to the seventh day. There is no change for non-vaccinated people who are a high-risk contact. They will have to be tested on days 1 and 7 and stay in quarantine until a negative result from the second test. For children who are too young to be vaccinated (under-fives), the rules depend on the vaccination status of their parents. Young people aged 12-17 are considered to be fully vaccinated even without the booster dose, and regardless of when they received their second jab.

Pieter Timmermans, chief executive of the Federation of Belgian Businesses (FEB), welcomed the move, which he said went "in the right direction to avoid a complete implosion of the health system and the economy". Employers are "relieved", said Hans Maertens, managing director of Flemish business body Voka, adding: "We feared a shutdown in many sectors if the old rules were maintained in the coming weeks."

"I understand why we are taking these measures," said virologist Marc Van Ranst. "We are reducing the burden on the first line of care, and we respond to fears of absenteeism in critical sectors." But he added that the move was not without risk. Without an imposed quarantine, there is a greater risk that vaccinated people with no symptoms are unknowingly passing the virus on to others. Van Ranst said it was essential that people continued to limit their contacts and wear an FFP2 mask for the first few days after coming into contact with an infected person. He also recommends taking a swab sample from the throat as well as the nose, as the omicron variant is less detectable in the nose.

Schools and children

Belgium's three education ministers (French, Dutch and German-speaking) met scientific experts on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of relaxing the requirement for primary school pupils to wear masks in class. "The discussions were constructive," said a spokesperson for Francophone education minister Caroline Désir. The issue will be discussed on Friday when the coronavirus consultative committee next meets. "This proposal will of course be accompanied by the confirmation of other strong preventive measures, such as better ventilation." If approved, children in the first four years of primary school could be allowed to take off their masks next week. The last two years of primary school would follow later this month - before the Carnival half-term holidays. The minister-president of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, said that on Friday he would "plead to go as far as possible" in relaxing the current rules.

Since Saturday, children aged 6-11 inclusive are no longer required to wear masks in indoor public spaces - including school, shops and public transport. The lower age limit for wearing a mask had been dropped to six on 3 December when the omicron wave of coronavirus arrived in Belgium.

Federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke urged parents to carry out a coronavirus self-test on their children before returning to school on Monday. They cost as little as €3 in supermarkets. Christine Mahy, president of the Belgian network for the fight against poverty, said the tests should be offered for free, through schools. Vandenbroucke responded: "I would like it to be free. But we cannot set up a reimbursement system in supermarkets like the one that exists in pharmacies. It would take a year or two of work and administrative preparations. It just isn't possible."

Belgium's health and education ministers have agreed to lift the requirement for school pupils to quarantine once four positive cases of coronavirus are detected within the same class. From now on, only pupils who have tested positive themselves are required to stay at home for seven days. The measure also applies to creches. Primary school pupils living under the same roof as someone who tests positive for coronavirus will also be allowed to attend class. This is a very important shift in the strategy to contain the virus. Classes that are currently closed will remain so until the quarantine period ends - the new measures will not retroactively apply to them. "The main problem will remain the absence of teachers," said one of the ministers present at the discussions. One in five teachers is currently off sick.

The number of positive coronavirus test results among children under 10 has trebled in a week, from 14,000 to 42,000. The test positivity rate among minors is close to 60%. The most-affected age group at present is teenagers - with 6,793 positive cases per 100,000 in the past week.

Strike action has been announced for 10 February in the French-speaking school system. Teachers and school directors are frustrated by what they call a lack of financial support from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the ongoing administrative workload in managing the coronavirus crisis and class closures.

The Council of State has rejected an urgent appeal from the parents of two school pupils in Flanders, who had complained against the requirement to wear masks in class from the age of six. One of the complainants had dyslexia and received help from a speech therapist, and found following lessons difficult with masks. The other had a skin condition which made wearing a mask uncomfortable. The Council of State said there were "many gaps" in the arguments put forward and that there was insufficient evidence to justify an emergency overturning of the order. It noted that parents can still ask a doctor for an exemption certificate.

More than 1,000 children aged five to 11 have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the Pachéco centre in downtown Brussels, since vaccination was extended to this age group on 22 December. From Monday (10 January), all seven vaccination centres in the region will be ready to vaccinate young children. The Common Community Commission is appealing for help from pediatricians and nurses who are used to working with children. Some vaccination centres will limit their vaccination appointments for children to time slots outside of school hours, generally Wednesday afternoons and on Saturday. Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Smurf pictures will adorn the walls and children can watch a cartoon on an iPad to put them at ease, with a lollipop offered once vaccinated. A third of the regular adult Pfizer vaccine is administered - with a second dose about a month later.

All schools - nursery, primary and secondary - returned to full-time face-to-face teaching when the new term began on 10 January, the consultative committee has agreed. Masks remain compulsory from the age of six and meetings between staff members or with parents should be held remotely. Day trips are permitted, but overnight stays cannot be organised. Schools must also try to avoid mixing classes in common indoor areas, such as at lunchtime. The rules on remote working remain unchanged at 80%. "The rapid spread of omicron within our country and among the population could put great pressure on our health care services, our businesses and our schools", said prime minister Alexander De Croo. He warned: "The situation will get worse before it gets better."

Vaccines

Police have opened an investigation into a possible data protection breach after a computer was stolen from the Pachéco vaccination and testing centre in central Brussels. The computer contains data on vaccinations. The theft happened overnight in the early hours of last Tuesday. The thief's motive is unclear.

Walloon public health body AVIQ has filed a legal complaint against persons unknown, after a website passing itself for an official site disseminated misinformation about the coronavirus vacccine. The site used a similar design and structure to the official vaccination campaign website, jemevaccine.be

Every coronavirus vaccination centre in Brussels - with the exception of the Military Hospital at Neder-Over-Heembeek - is now offering first, second and third doses of the vaccine without the need for an appointment. In Brussels, 177,000 people risk losing their Covid Safe Ticket from 1 March because they have not yet had their booster dose.

The introduction of compulsory vaccination for healthcare personnel and other caregivers has been postponed, federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has confirmed. It had initially been planned that, from 1 April, healthcare workers who refused the vaccine risked losing their licence to practise. Vandenbroucke said compulsory vaccination could still be a necessary measure in the long-run - "when the time is right" - but not now. "We are not going to crush the fifth wave with a vaccination obligation which only starts now," he said. "The idea of a widespread obligation remains completely necessary, but we must activate this idea, this device, at the appropriate time." In Brussels, only 60% of vaccinated nursing staff have already received their booster dose.

Belgium's Superior Health Council has been asked to give advice on whether a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine is appropriate for over-65s, Flemish health minister Wouter Beke said this week. So far, a fourth dose is only on the agenda for 300,000 immuno-compromised people.

Belgium's Superior Health Council says there is "insufficient scientific evidence" to support giving a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine to 12 to 17-year-olds. It has decided to wait for advice from the European Medicines Agency before inviting this age group for a third dose.

The federal parliament's public health committee has drawn up a list of 32 experts that it will invite to give their opinion on the issue of compulsory vaccination. They include constitutionalist Hendrik Vuye, the president of doctors' union Absym and biostatistician Geert Molenberghs.

Belgium will receive half a million doses of the newly approved Novavax coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks. The vaccine will be available from the end of February until late March. It will initially be reserved for people who are potentially allergic to certain components of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or who have been unable to receive all three doses because they had a significant adverse reaction. It is hoped that the vaccine will also appeal to people who have refused to get vaccinated due to fears about the safety of messenger RNA vaccines - which scientists say are unfounded. To be sure of receiving the Novavax vaccine, you cannot simply turn up to a vaccination centre - you will need to book an appointment via Bruvax (Brussels) or QVax (Wallonia and Flanders).

Wallonia's vaccination campaign for children aged five to 11 has begun, after a pilot phase in the Liège and Mons vaccination centres last week. Some 15,000 appointments have already been made. Children under 12 will only be offered time slots outside school hours - namely Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays. Vaccination centres in the region have been redesigned to better accommodate young people, including cartoons on a TV screen during the 15-minute observation period after the injection.

Several groups of immunocompromised people will receive a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine, health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has confirmed. "It's very specific - for some people, the third dose was not really a booster. They needed a third to achieve the base level of immunity." The Superior Health Council will confirm which health conditions require a fourth dose.

A vaccination centre for children has been set up inside Antwerp Zoo to help put young people at ease. Instead of having to sit around for 15 minutes after the jab, children can visit the monkey enclosure - still under the watchful eye of medics. Vaccinations for five to 11-year-olds will take place at the zoo on Wednesday afternoons and at weekends.

More than 11,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Brussels pharmacies since the end of September, as part of a project by the Common Community Commission to improve vaccination coverage among the 40% of residents who do not have a GP. The Pharma-On-Tour project allows pharmacists to organise a mobile vaccination session, with medical teams from the Cocom visiting to administer the jabs on a given day. Some 22 Brussels pharmacies are now taking part in the project - but there are big differences among the region's 19 municipalities. In Schaerbeek, more than 4,000 doses have been given. In Ganshoren, Koekelberg and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe combined, just 56.

Prime minister Alexander De Croo has indicated that he is ready to reconsider his position on compulsory vaccination. "We really need to rethink our whole reasoning," he told De Zondag newspaper. "You are vaccinated for your own health, but also for that of others. I believe more in persuasion than in obligation, but when you see that there are five times more unvaccinated people in intensive care, we can no longer avoid this question. The objective is clear: everyone must be vaccinated. If the route of compulsory vaccination can help, then I would like to consider it." He added: "A relatively small group [the unvaccinated] has too much impact on our healthcare system. We cannot allow that. Once the plan was: how to avoid new waves. Today it should be: how to keep future waves as flat as possible. Because let's face it: Omicron will not be the last wave either. The virus will proliferate in the years to come. We have to learn to live with it."$

Travel

An investigation by VRT has found rush-hour public transport frequently exceeds the safe levels of CO². Reporters took CO² meters with them on 46 peak-time journeys. Half of the samples taken were above the safe limit of 900ppm - these were journeys in Brussels and Antwerp. Among the 14 samples taken in Brussels, 10 were too high. The worst reading was a crowded tram in Antwerp, with its windows closed, where the measurement was 1,691ppm.

The SNCB will return to operating a normal level of service from Monday (21 February). The rail operator had to cancel several services in recent weeks due to high levels of staff absence due to quarantine or a positive coronavirus test result. These were mostly 'P' trains - extra rush-hour services laid on for commuters.

Brussels public transport operator Stib is back running at full capacity, after it was forced to reduce some service levels at the end of January due to a lack of staff. Metros ran at slightly reduced frequencies for a fortnight as drivers were signed off work, either with coronavirus or required to self-isolate after coming into close contact with an infected person.

Brussels Airport is operating at 52% of its pre-pandemic capacity, new figures reveal. The airport welcomed 800,000 passengers in January.

The SNCB will once again reduce the number of train services it runs, by 6.5%, due to staff absences. The rail company said it would cancel several peak-hour services in advance to avoid having to make unexpected cancellations from one day to the next. A quarter of intercity trains between Antwerp and Brussels will not run. Some rush-hour S trains around Brussels are also affected.

After the SNCB, it's the turn of De Lijn and the Stib to reduce their services because of staff absence due to coronavirus (or quarantine). Currently 13% of De Lijn drivers are off sick. Bus services in Leuven and trams in Antwerp are the worst-affected. Frequencies on the Brussels metro will be increased from next Monday, with a train every three minutes on the busiest stretches of line and six minutes elsewhere, instead of 2.5 and five respectively. Stib said overcrowding should still be avoidable, as the network is currently only running with 60% of regular passenger numbers.

Despite working from home being required four days a week, public transport use in Brussels is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest figures from the Stib. In its annual report, the operator says 274 million trips were made on the network last year. In early December, occupancy was at 90% of the level seen in December 2019. However, the Stib is not expecting a full return to normal until the end of 2023.

The SNCB will return to operating a full service from 10 January, the rail operator has announced. Since the beginning of December it had been forced to cancel several peak-time journeys due to staff quarantine.

A court in Brussels has sentenced 16 people to prison terms of up to a year for attempting to travel from Brussels Airport with falsified test result certificates. These are the first convictions, among a group of 160 people facing prosecution. In total, 820 people have been caught at the airport trying to fly with fake documents - most of whom agreed to pay a €750 fine to avoid court.

Police in Antwerp have had to intervene and direct road traffic, after streets in the city centre became saturated with vehicles coming from the Netherlands, where non-essential shops and restaurants are closed. There has been a noticeable influx of Dutch visitors this week. Police also handled crowd control at Antwerp Central station, as trains crossing the border have been crowded with daytrippers.

Healthcare

Fifteen Belgian general practitioners have been suspended for making negative comments about the coronavirus vaccine to patients, RTL reports. The Order of Physicians opened investigations into 90 doctors on the basis of complaints. After investigation, 22 GPs were sanctioned, including 15 who were suspended for periods ranging from one month to two years. "A doctor must properly inform his patient, and let him consent freely," the Order says. "We will crack down firmly against the dissemination of information that does not fit with the current state of science."

Sales of antibiotics in Belgium fell by almost 20% last year, as the coronavirus measures have limited people's exposure to infections.

Of the 367 people currently in intensive care with coronavirus, half are not vaccinated, said interfederal spokesman Yves Van Laethem. "This is in line with the most optimistic projections and confirms that omicron is less severe in the current context, where the majority of people are vaccinated and have natural immunity." However, the peak of the fifth wave is not over yet. It is expected around late January or early February. A third of all new infections are currently among under-20s, a figure that has doubled in just a week. Half of new infections are in Flanders, a quarter in Wallonia, 11% in Brussels and the rest cannot easily be assigned to a given region.

Belgium's Council of State has given its approval for a draft law imposing compulsory vaccination on all healthcare workers. The law is due to enter force on 1 April, although the legislative process is not yet fully complete. The Council of State was asked for its opinion on the legality of the measures. "The federal authorities are empowered to make vaccination compulsory," its ruling says. "This may apply to the entire population or to a part of it, for which vaccination is necessary because of the nature of the disease or virus in question."

Unlike previous waves of the pandemic, when hospitals were required to reserve a percentage of beds for coronavirus patients and postpone some non-urgent care, a different approach is being considered if the omicron variant leads to a spike in hospitalisations. An emergency plan leaked to several newspapers on Tuesday suggests that, in the worst-case scenario, "Covid care will no longer have priority over others". Marcel Van der Auwera, who chairs the "Hospital & Transport Surge Capacity" committee, said: "It is no longer possible to make so many means available for one person. We will therefore establish a list of priorities for phase 3. If this happens, only people with urgent problems can be admitted to the hospital." Belgium is currently in phase 1B, meaning 50% of intensive care beds are reserved for coronavirus patients.

UZ Brussel university hospital has banned visits from 10 January, as hospital staff are overstretched and testing and quarantine rules for non-symptomatic fully vaccinated people are relaxed. Exceptions will apply for some patients, for example those receiving palliative care. Parents can still accompany children, but siblings will not be allowed.

Nurses are fleeing hospitals and preferring to find work in vaccination centres, RTBF reports. "For the first time in 18 years, I was able to celebrate Christmas and New Year with my family," one nurse told the broadcaster. "The work is less stressful physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Yes, it is more repetitive, but it's a lot less dramatic. I was worn out. Here, I've found a good balance." Vanessa Rodriguez, who works for a temp agency specialising in healthcare staff, confirms the trend: "There is a demand from temporary workers to go to vaccination centers because the working conditions are different. It allows them to breathe a little. There is no real financial advantage to working in a hospital over a vaccination centre." Danny De Clercq, director of care at the Iris-Sud hospital network, said: "This is only one of the reasons why it is difficult to find staff. There are other solutions for vaccination centres than to employ nurses who are already in short supply."

The coronavirus crisis has led to an increase in tobacco consumption in Belgium, according to the latest survey by the Foundation Against Cancer. The foundation believes there is a real risk that this trend will continue. The survey estimates that 27% of Belgians smoke, up from 23% before the coronavirus crisis began. A third of smokers surveyed said their consumption had increased. "Years of healthy life are thus going up in smoke," the foundation concluded.

Leisure

Some 710 non-profit associations, including amateur sports clubs, will receive a compensation payout of €40 per affiliated member from the Brussels region, after a year of restrictions during which clubs have not been able to benefit from their usual income generated by ticket sales, for example, or the sale of drinks at a buvette.

The Council of State has rejected an appeal from 25 bowling alley operators against the 23 December coronavirus decree which ordered them to close. The court said the temporary closure was proportionate, and only applied to recreational use. Nothing prevents professional bowlers from carrying on with training sessions.

Organisers of the famous Binche carnival are considering shortening this year's celebrations to cover just Mardi Gras. Normally the festivities fill a long weekend. The city will decide next week. The idea of postponing the carnival until later in the spring has reportedly been rejected. It will likely go ahead in a reduced form, with the Covid Safe Ticket and outdoor catering only.

After theatres and cultural centres, it's the turn of bowling alleys to take legal action in an attempt to overturn the latest coronavirus restrictions. Some 25 bowling alley operators, supported bvy the Belgian Sporting Federation of Bowling, have lodged an appeal with the Council of State. The federation describes the order to close as "discriminatory", given that other indoor sport can still go ahead. "Officially, professional players are still allowed to train, but most bowling centres cannot open just for them, as it would not generate enough income," a spokesman explained.

Work

Since March 2020, nearly 21,000 people have submitted a request for their coronavirus infection to be recognised as a workplace illness. These cases are handled by Fedris, the federal agency which manages occupational risks for private-sector employees and some communal and provincial civil servants. If a case is categorised as a work-related injury - because the contamination most likely occurred in the workplace - Fedris pays out for medical bills or, in the event of death, funeral expenses. Among the most common jobs covered by the scheme: babysitters, caregivers, firefighters and police officers, home helpers, cleaners and hairdressers.

Van Laethem also has some advice for anyone returning to the office on Monday - as remote working becomes "recommended" instead of "compulsory". Safe distancing and the other basic "barrier gestures" are still necessary. Masks should be worn where safe distances cannot be maintained, and offices should be regularly ventilated. Lunch and coffee breaks should be staggered and not taken by everyone at the same time.

Society

Two wings at Saint-Gilles prison were placed in quarantine, after 19 inmates tested positive for coronavirus. According to the CGSP union, the prison still suffers from overcrowding: it has a maximum capacity of 850 prisoners, but the actual figure is closer to 900. Inmates are not due to be transferred to the new Haren mega-prison until next September.

FFP2 masks will be compulsory for all staff in nursing homes in Flanders and Wallonia. The masks offer better protection to the wearer than ordinary surgical masks, as they filter inhaled air. Before Christmas, the Brussels region asked all care homes to check their reserves of FFP2 masks. The FFP2 requirement does not apply to visitors, although it is highly recommended that they carry out an antigen self-test on the day of the visit.