Brussels N-VA worried about Brussels hospitalisation figures

“We’re all in the same boat when it comes to this virus.” There is much talk about the Brussels coronavirus figures. The Brussels N-VA has no desire for a competition to see which city, province or Region is the best student in the class. “However, we are indeed worrying about our city,” says Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten: “There is a serious discrepancy between the proportion of positive tested cases in the Brussels Region and the proportion of hospitalisations for patients with severe symptoms.”

Hospitalisations as an indicator

Measuring is knowing. The more testing there is, the greater the chance of coronavirus infections being discovered and thus of the population being protected. A report on the TV programme Terzake showed that, for example, almost twice as many tests are being carried out in the province of Antwerp as in the Brussels Region. But more worrying is the number of hospitalisations in Brussels. “That is actually the best indicator of the severity of the crisis,” Gilles Verstraeten says. 

17% of hospitalisations

The number of hospitalisations in Brussels in the last two weeks is reported as 45 admissions. The severely affected province of Antwerp had 48. “In the past two weeks, Brussels accounted for 10% of the number of positive tested cases in Belgium, which corresponds to Brussels’ share of the total Belgian population. However, for that same period, Brussels represents no less than 17% of the total number of hospitalisations and therefore severe cases in Belgium. Something is not right there.”

No cause for celebrations in Brussels

Gilles Verstraeten therefore says that there is no reason to celebrate in Brussels. “We’re all in the same boat when it comes to this virus. The delight expressed by some Brussels commentators and politicians because things were worse elsewhere was misplaced and beneath contempt. We would do better to monitor the gravity of the situation in Brussels carefully and to assess it correctly. And I am very worried about that.”

For Gilles Verstraeten, therefore, Brussels must above all increase the testing capacity and make it more accessible. “This is the only way we can prevent the situation from becoming worse,” he concludes.