The Omicron variant of the coronavirus – more contagious but less virulent – remains largely predominant in Belgium, while the Delta mutation is “endangered”, noted the interfederal spokesperson Covid-19, Yves Van Laethem, Friday during the weekly presentation to the press on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in Belgium.
The Omicron BA.1 / BA.1.1 variant “currently represents 86% of coronavirus contaminations. The BA.2 sub-variant tends to increase and concerns 14% of infections”, detailed the virologist. Omicron is indeed divided into several “lineages”: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The BA.2 mutation (which has differences compared to the other sub-variants, in particular in the spike protein, the “entry key” of the virus in the body) has been present in Belgium since January. It is on the rise in many countries, which is why the Sciensano Public Health Institute keeps it under scrutiny.
BA.2 could also become dominant in our country in the coming weeks, added Steven Van Gucht, the Dutch-speaking counterpart of Mr. Van Laethem. Should we be worried about it? Not particularly, believes Mr. Van Gucht, taking the example of Denmark, which lifted most of its health restrictions on February 1 without witnessing an explosion in epidemiological indicators.
The other mutations (Alpha, Beta – identified for the first time in the world in December 2020 -, Gamma, Epsilon, Iota and Eta) have not been noticed among us for the past two months. As for the Delta variant, which is more aggressive, it only concerns 0.3% of infections in Belgium. “It is therefore practically endangered”, remarked Yves Van Laethem.
The peak of intensive care patients reached
Then, the experts took stock of the other indicators of the epidemic, hospitalizations and deaths. The peak in the number of people treated in intensive care was reached on Monday, February 7, suggesting the end of the fifth wave of the coronavirus. That of deaths was observed three days later, on February 10, said the interfederal spokesperson Covid-19.
Contaminations, hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care: all the indicators of the epidemic continue to fall, with the exception of the death curve. On average, 49 people with the virus died each day between February 8 and February 14, a number up 11% from the previous seven-day period. The peak of deaths seems to have been reached on Thursday February 10, with 60 dead that day, pointed out Mr. Van Laethem. “We should unfortunately reach the milestone of 30,000 deaths within a few days,” he announced.
If we consider the level of saturation of intensive care (350 beds occupied on Thursday), we could already go from code red (more than 500 beds occupied) to code orange, continued the virologist. “Next week, we could even drop below the 300 bed mark, a first element to trigger the yellow code.” With 440 patients treated in these units, the peak of this fifth wave was reached on Monday February 7.
Between February 8 and February 14, an average of 246 coronavirus-positive people were admitted to hospital daily. The flag therefore remains red. “It is only in one or two weeks that we should go below the average of 150 hospitalizations per day”, thus fulfilling the second condition to go into code orange. As for the threshold of 65 daily admissions which determines the passage to the yellow code, it should not be reached until March, estimates Mr. Van Laethem.
However, it is necessary to wait approximately three weeks to be able to really observe the effects of the last relaxations, recalled the virologist.
Foreign Affairs also recalled that all trips outside the European Union remained “strongly discouraged”. In the event of international travel, they encourage the population to regularly consult the site https://diplomatie.belgium.be, which lists travel advice and conditions country by country.
Finally, while teleworking is no longer compulsory but only recommended since this Friday, the FPS Employment, Labor and Social Dialogue insisted on the need to respect all the health measures enacted (traffic plan, adequate ventilation, isolation rules and quarantine, hand washing and disinfection of tools, elevator buttons, etc.). “Whether between colleagues, with customers, patients or entrepreneurs, limit close contact,” said the SPF. “It is therefore very likely that we will have to review the breaks” around the coffee machine or during meal times, he concluded.