Belgium is swiftly ramping up testing as part of its exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown, Philippe De Backer, the minister leading the countrys coronavirus task force, has told POLITICO.
On Wednesday, the number of hospitalized patients dipped for the first time since the pandemic hit Belgium.
“It looks like the peak is starting to show,” Steven Van Gucht, who chairs the governments scientific committee for coronavirus, said at a daily news conference, while cautioning that Belgium “is definitely not out of the danger zone yet.”
In Belgium, at least 2,240 people have died due to the coronavirus, giving it one of the highest death rates per capita in the EU. But Van Gucht has stressed that Belgium is one of the few countries that includes non-hospital coronavirus deaths in its data.
Belgian hospitals have so far kept on top of the stream of incoming patients, though the number in intensive care is still increasing. The situation in nursing homes is more worrying, as protective equipment and medical supplies have been prioritized for hospitals. Army personnel moved into two nursing homes to support struggling staff there, Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported.
Exit strategy
In line with other European countries, the Belgian government is beginning to prepare an exit strategy for once the virus has peaked. This week it assembled a team of medical and economic experts to coordinate that plan.
“One day, this test will be behind us,” Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès said in a video speech on Sunday. “But at this point, no one can tell us exactly when that will be.”
De Backer, who oversees the supply of protective personal equipment and coronavirus tests, told POLITICO Tuesday that the intention is “to return to normal life as soon as possible.”
“Testing plays an important role in our strategy, as does the supply of medical supplies and technology,” he added.
At the end of March, Belgium was conducting 3,000 tests per day, but is now able to handle up to 10,000 tests, according to De Backer and the governments scientific committee. More testing samples are now being collected in hospitals and nursing homes.
“Weve managed to create a whole new supply chain for testing through cooperation between universities and the private sector,” De Backer said. “If you look at the number of tests we are doing per capita, were not that far off from Germany.”
Germany, with a population of over 80 million to Belgiums 11 million, has the capacity for 103,000 tests a day, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
Belgiums Risk Management Group, made up of politicians and health experts, will make the call on increasing testing.
“If theres a green light, we are ready to do even more,” said De Backer. “We have the Read More – Source
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