This Friday morning, Maxime Binet received the head of the infectious diseases department of the CHU Saint Pierre Nathan Clumeck in “We need to speak”, on DH Radio. For him, compulsory vaccination of healthcare workers is a good thing and should have been decided earlier. He also took a stand in favor of compulsory vaccination.
As the epidemic resumes, the government has advanced its consultation committee to this Wednesday. In the meantime, Gems experts, who are advising the government on the health measures to be put in place during the health crisis, have pleaded for a new battery of more severe measures: mask from 9 years old, compulsory teleworking, closure of the world of night and fitness rooms. Do these measures go far enough, or too far?
“These are crisis measures. We could undoubtedly have anticipated them,” suggests Nathan Clumeck. “We are in a phase where things are escaping us, since the virus is transmitted more quickly and the vaccinated can be carriers of the virus”.
The virus will not go away, that’s for sure. We have to live with
On Monday, the select ministerial committee agreed on the compulsory vaccination of caregivers, who from January 1 will have three months to be vaccinated, otherwise they will fall into unemployment. “We should have taken this measure earlier,” says the specialist. “It took a long time to come to this decision: we have been talking about it for weeks, months. The nursing staff is compulsorily vaccinated against hepatitis B. I do not see where the problem is,” he said. by evoking the compulsory injection against the Covid-19.
“If we go towards compulsory vaccination, it will be for the 5th wave”
Nathan Clumeck went a step further by considering compulsory vaccination for all, as hospitals had demanded on Monday, at the same time as a call for the tightening of health measures. “The conclusions must be drawn from this fourth wave. The virus will not go away, that’s for sure. We have to live with it. We know that the vaccine protects well against disease, but less well against transmission. We also know that other factors play such as indoor gatherings and ventilation “, synthesized the specialist. “I think it is time to consider compulsory vaccination. The debate is ripe. In Belgium, decisions take time, probably several months. If we move towards compulsory vaccination, it will be for the next wave” , he said, referring to an inevitable 5th wave.
The head of the infectious diseases department of the CHU Saint Pierre has also returned to the wearing of the mask imposed from 9 years old. “On this point, there is no consensus. Sciensano has yet to prove anything. I think anyway that this is not the most important measure.”
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