From his secret hiding place Marc Van Ranst gave in the seventh day his opinion on the relaxations announced last week. “This is a risk,” he says. Van Ranst warns against a feeling of liberation celebrations.
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From a ministerial decree that was distributed by Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) last week, turns out that the bubble and the hug contacts can go into the trash with the relaxation of June 9th. Although “it is still strongly recommended to adhere to the preventive measures, such as keeping distance and wearing masks, as much as possible”. the seventh day virologist Marc Van Ranst immediately asked for a response. “This relaxation came very suddenly,” he said. “I understand that the need for human contact is high. And yes, the numbers are falling, but they remain high. Higher than the numbers at the same time last year.”
Van Ranst, who, like Erika Vlieghe, has not been heard for this decision, fears a feeling of liberation celebrations. “If you had asked experts that, they would have preferred that we waited another month to a month and a half with these relaxations.”
“We currently have a positivity ratio of 5 percent, last year it was 1 percent,” says Van Ranst. “Then we had 122 new cases a day, now it’s 1871. Then we had 573 people in the hospital, now more than double. This is not without danger.”
“guess”
Van Ranst also nuances the positive vibe surrounding the good vaccination figures. “It is said that half or at least 40 percent of the population is vaccinated. But if you look at Brussels, for example, only thirty percent is vaccinated. Across the country, only 17 percent of the population has already been fully vaccinated.” According to Van Ranst, politicians are taking a “gamble” with these relaxations. “It’s a risk,” he says. “Mainly because of new variants, such as the Indian one that we are now seeing emerging in Great Britain. And that, just like the British variant, is slightly more transmissible and pathogenic. Politicians must of course also take other aspects of society into account.”
In a response, Minister Verlinden says that he understands that the virologists are choosing the most cautious path. “But as politicians we have to take into account the psychology of the population.”
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