2023-09-21 13:40:05
Yves Van Laethem, Covid seems to be making a comeback in Belgium, what is this increase in cases due to?
After having actually noted since mid-August an increase in the number of respiratory infections, mainly Covid, we realize that now, in the latest report that Sciensano has just provided, the figures are plateauing. Both in terms of the positivity rate of the tests that are carried out and in terms of the number of people infected and likewise in terms of people hospitalized. It must be confirmed next week but we have the impression of reaching a plateau in the wave that we have experienced since mid-August and which would last until the month of October, it is a sign positive. The wave that we experienced, of course, is very easily attributed to the return from vacation, to the resumption of contacts, as almost every year.
What are the symptoms of this variant?
They have hardly changed since Omicron appeared around January 2022, symptoms which are more those of the upper respiratory tract. Sore throat, a little cough, irritation, headache, runny nose, but also, of course, episodes of temperature or more pronounced cough. Very little alteration of taste and smell, as we had initially. It is a form of infection that, for most healthy people, is not severe or not as severe as has been experienced in the past. As for the variants, we find ourselves in front of the parents, the grandparents, the great-grandparents of the starting Omicron. This time, we find ourselves faced with a mixture of different variants in our country. A mixture of variants present in the countries around us but which does not lead to any different consequences, neither in terms of symptoms nor in terms of dangerousness.
What precautionary measures should be taken?
I think that for now, we need common sense measures with the fall coming. If we are healthy, we go to work and go for walks. We do everything without a mask. If you have a respiratory infection, you can either telework, stay at home, or wear at least a mask to protect others. We avoid eating with large groups at work or family level. We do not go to see vulnerable people or at least, at that time, we wear a mask. In any case, we continue to apply hygiene measures: wash our hands, cough into the crook of the elbow, and ventilate well.
Is it still recommended to get vaccinated?
We can still do it. So far, it’s not too cold outside. I think that by applying these measures, we will be able to get through this autumn episode without any problem. The vaccine this year is only a messenger RNA vaccine which we now know well. It has been given to billions of people. It is an ambivalent vaccine so it takes the strain that attacked us at the beginning of 2020 and it takes an Omicron strain, the one that circulated during this summer. This vaccine is really recommended. Only, and I say this expressly, only to the population at risk. This population is now well known: it is practically superimposable to that of the flu. People over 65 years old, people with comorbidities, respiratory problems, diabetes, kidney infections and others. Immunodeficient people placed in any age group. For the general population, there is no specific indication for vaccination. Anyone who wishes to do so can do so, but the healthy, relatively young population is not recommended to be vaccinated.
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