While the Belgian economy remains in lockdown, the key to the solution – the COVID-19 vaccination campaign – is taking off at a very slow pace. Only 3.5 percent Dependent The population has already been given a first dose, which means that our country is no longer even at the level of the European average – now at 3.9 percent – remains. IsraelThe UK and the US are, as is well known, a mile ahead, but even with the inappropriate buying policy in the EU, the top performing EU member states Denmark (5.5 per cent) and Finland (5.2 per cent) are still doing better than Belgium.
The first excuse: “because of the pharmaceutical companies”
Apologies are now known: it would be a mistake pharmaceutical companiesWho would have violated the signed contracts. At least that’s what AstraZeneca accuses, but it’s solid evidence Spend in this time From.
And it is clear in any case that the contracts barely They have strict guarantees on delivery, not to mention much less price Payed by the European Union, at least in case Israel It appears to have an effect on slowing delivery to the European Union. Not well negotiated, with “vague delivery and timing” contracts, to me European Parliament member Guy Verhofstadt, however, is one of the greatest advocates of more power and money for the European Union.
The second excuse: “It’s just a second-class vaccine.”
Those same politicians who initially caused quite a stir about the so-called breach of contract by AstraZeneca, soon turned to the second line of defense, with all sorts of direct and indirect suggestions that were just A class II vaccine Will head.
And therefore I suggested European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in early February that, unlike the United Kingdom, “the (European) Commission and Member States have decided not to compromise the safety and efficacy requirements of vaccines.” French President Macron went further, claiming that the AstraZeneca vaccine isAlmost ineffectiveIt will be in the elderly, which is clearly untrue. There was very little data to determine that it also works in the elderly, which is also a reason for the European Medicines Agency to be cautious, although this was I suggested However, the vaccine “can be used for the elderly.”
In the meantime, it became already clear that the vaccine was working well. In the United Kingdom, the number of infections has increased enormous Down, even for people over 60. In Scotland it was the AstraZeneca vaccine more effective Of Pfizer vaccine to avoid hospitalization, which is the reason for the entire vaccination campaign in the end.
consequences Political doubts Which has been planted to cover its failures looks especially bad, even more so than the new European UnionSystems In terms of vaccine exports, which is already causing bureaucratic delays in production.
At one of the vaccination centers in Berlin came Only 200 of the 3,800 people expected to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine are shown. There are up to 650,000 doses of the vaccine in German freezers WeakenPartly because many healthcare workers deliberately skip their vaccination, because they hope to get a different vaccine in a later round. We also intend the nurses to receive the vaccine and here too there is mistrust among this group. Some Threatened It’s all a blow if they don’t get another vaccine.
In this regard sigh This is “an unexplained image problem” says virologist Stephen van Gucht: “I immediately thought, when I heard this call about AstraZeneca – it started in Germany and (…) you won’t get rid of it.” Moreover, regarding doubts that the vaccine will protect against the South African variant, he indicated that “if there is a mismatch with the South African strain, it is in principle a general problem”, because “this component in the AstraZeneca vaccine [… ] It is actually the same [bij] All those other vaccines. “
Excuse three: “the UK is pursuing a different strategy”
The last line of defense among European policymakers is that the British have something called “Single dose strategy“Wait longer than recommended by the manufacturer to give the needed second dose of the vaccine, allowing more people to be vaccinated.
There doesn’t seem to be real consensus on this yet, but the medical journal The scalpel States The number of symptomatic infections is already high Decreases After giving a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine. According to one study, the AstraZeneca vaccine would prove to be more effective with a second dose Stalling. The aforementioned 94% decrease in hospitals in Scotland after a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine Speaking On top of that for yourself. He also heads the new Italian government Toe To look at the British approach now, where it is Recommended By American researchers. So in European countries, calls are being heard to review approaches Always frequently.
The importance of all of this cannot be understated. In Israel, the economy is already back so far Also open because the Pfizer vaccine is approximately 90% of the transition Of the virus. The UK was able to use final date To give everyone a first dose from September to the end of July.
Meanwhile, scientifically meaningless measures are still in effect in Belgium
Meanwhile, the threat of the third wave remains, which is scaring politicians from making all efforts to reopen the economy.
It is commendable that the Prime Minister Alexander de Croo is more Transparency He presents on the method by which to take the tension and relieve, but that is not enough. To date, there are many measures in place in our country that are not only viewed as constitutional Doubtful But it also lacks any scientific basis.
to Duty to mask outdoor mouth – valid throughout the Brussels region, including parks – is one example. According to epidemiologist Luke Bonux Simply this “Useless, unless in a crowded mass of people with prolonged contact less than a meter away.”
Hence, according to the same reasoning, there is no epidemic risk in eliminating it Banning the outside terraces of restaurants and cafesAnd something that can alleviate the pain of this vital economic sector for our country, which also has a special social importance. None of them are seriously considered. Too difficult for the police or something. Then we didn’t talk about things like that a ban indoor sports Without physical contact and in large spaces, such as tennis. Last but not least, there’s also an ClotheA disproportionate attack on everyone’s freedom, because the government believes it cannot succeed in banning gatherings.
“Confidence comes on foot, but it goes on horseback.”
Instead, such measures appear to be motivated – as Health Minister Frank Vandenbroek says, “to restrict it”. So to scare the population. However, this can have the opposite effect and undermine the drive to respect sensible measures as well. Especially if the police and public prosecution interests are above that Hypersensitivity In implementing bad rules at times, with media clutter here and there Judge Who is not sufficiently aware of the responsibility of his position.
In 2020, there was no western country where the death rate was as high as in Belgium. However, no politician left. Not even the Flemish and Brussels Ministers of Health, Water Beek and Alan Maron, who were politically responsible for Imbalances Test and trace. However, the separation could have been an important signal through the apparatus of government that one cannot escape every failure. It must be said, since December, governments have been doing better. Non-essential stores and schools have been partially opened, yet positivity remains stable.
One can also ban unnecessary travel To defend. This allowed Finland and Norway to avoid lockdown in the fall. This is not self-evident for Belgium, but precisely because our country is in the middle of Europe, we can also reduce a great deal of exposure to the need to lock down. One of the conditions is that it must be based on objective numbers that show serious outbreaks of infection in countries with travel restrictions. Since the situation in neighboring countries is much better, it is now better to loosen this ban again significantly.
Basically, the intermittent campaign of vaccination and imposition of illogical measures remains the Achilles heel of politics. As Hermann de Crowe, the father of our prime minister, said: “Confidence comes on foot, on horseback.” There was no undue confidence in our political class, but now things are really going in the wrong direction.
The author Peter Klippy Affiliated with the Allianc Research Foundation for EquityH
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