Between March 1 and May 31, Belgium has nearly 30% more deaths than normal, reports Le Soir on Monday, which also notes that women are more affected than men and that the capital region is strongly affected. Over the three months studied, there were 36,271 deaths “from all causes” (nearly 400 deaths per day).
It is 8,100 victims more than the 2015-2019 average, an increase in mortality of 28.8%, according to calculations made by the daily on the basis of figures from the National Statistical Office Statbel.
This excess mortality starts in mid-March, peaks on April 10 (the day when 674 deaths are recorded) and then finally disappears in early May. This peak in mortality corresponds in every way to the wave of deaths due to the coronavirus recorded by the Belgian health authorities.
Brussels is the most affected area, with an increase in the number of deaths of more than 50% over the period studied. One of the explanations is population density, a factor that increases the risk of virus transmission.
The figures also confirm that this virus particularly hit the elderly, with an exponential increase in the number of deaths in the older age groups. For those over 85, we thus reach an excess mortality of 44%.
It is also the best hypothesis available to explain that women were more affected by the crisis than men, with an excess mortality of 30.5% for them against 27% for them. The virus has wreaked havoc in nursing homes, where, notes virologist Yves Van Laethem, “the public is predominantly female because women live longer”.
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