Belgium and the coronavirus

[Fambo Number Mive]

This is scary. Reports of medics who test positive for Covid but have no symptoms being asked to continue to work in Belgium:

Several hospitals in Belgium have requested that doctors and nurses who test positive for Covid-19, continue to work if they have no symptoms.

The decision has been made by 10 hospitals in Liege, which are dealing with a surge in coronavirus admissions.

The city is one of the worst affected areas of Europe and hospitals have started transferring patients elsewhere and cancelled all non-urgent surgery.

The situation is exacerbated by a lack of doctors and nurses available.

A quarter of medical staff in Liege are reported to be off work with Covid-19. But another 10% of staff who have tested positive but are asymptomic have been asked to continue working.

The president of the Belgian Association of Medical Unions, Dr Philippe Devos, acknowledged the obvious risk of transferring the virus to patients, but says they've been left with no choice in order to avoid the hospital system collapsing within days.

Belgium seem to have handled things better than the UK (well, most countries have) so I'm surprised they are doing so badly.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/belgium-covid-hospitals-schools/2020/10/23/85358010-14a9-11eb-a258-614acf2b906d_story.html

"The situation is catastrophic," said Philippe Devos, an intensive care doctor at the CHC Montlégia Hospital in Liège, the worst-hit Belgian city. "Liège is now is probably the most affected region in the world. We have a lot of doctors and nurses affected. But, starting this week, positive cases were asked to go back to work if they are asymptomatic."

He said at some hospitals in the city, between one-fifth and one-quarter of the medical staff is sick or quarantining.

"We are in deep," said Devos, who is also president of the Belgian Association of Medical Unions.

[Fr.Bigley]

Someone on BBC news this morning said Belgium only had 2000 ICU beds in the entire country too. This can't be true can it?!

[A Hat Like That]

Belgium's one of the places that's actually done really really badly, far worse than some of its bigger neighbours, yes, even those over the channel.

[BlodwynPig]

Close to 0.1% of the population dead.

Andorra have tipped over 5.5% having had Covid. The highest in the World.

China about to slip into 58th position in the world cases table.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

This Belgium situation is coming for all of us at this rate and when you read of public services beginning to cease functioning that's seriously scary and demonstrates the utter nonsense about 'just getting on with things'.

[BlodwynPig]

When you see people shuffling around shopping areas, you realise we've lost the art of resilience. Raising a broom to defy rioters is one thing, completely rethinking your approach to survival is quite another.

[Urinal Cake]

So far the only solution is to enforce shutdowns which most powerful people hate.  Who really knows when a vaccine is coming. This thing seems like it going to come in waves for the next couple of years. 

[Zetetic]

Someone on BBC news this morning said Belgium only had 2000 ICU beds in the entire country too. This can't be true can it?!

If it had the same number of ICU beds per-head as the UK, it'd have about 750.

(Two thousands seems fairly ... standard to me.)

[dissolute ocelot]

If it had the same number of ICU beds per-head as the UK, it'd have about 750.

(Two thousands seems fairly ... standard to me.)

Belgium's quite high, although half of Germany according to this Wikipedia table (see ICU column): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_hospital_beds

[Cuellar]

Belgium have been shit at corona, let's be honest. They were hit hard to begin with. I travelled through Belgium on various local trains then the Eurostar just as it was all kicking off, back in March-ish. We couldn't get our reserved seat on the Thalys to Brussels because they'd basically halved the number of trains running due to corona, so we all had to pack in like sardines (ingenious). Luckily managed to find a seat in a 'first class' area but it was really a free for all.

Genuinely don't think it would take much for Belgian society to collapse - it's held together by string and paper as it is. An utter shambles of a country. Hired bikes in Ghent once, had to queue for hours to actually get them because the cunt at the desk was writing out, by hand and in a giant ledger, all the details of the bikes that were being rented, the details of the people renting them, they scanned ID cards/passports (as in, so they could physically print them out and put that in a filing cabinet) and you had to pay in cash. You have to pay in cash in loads of places, in fact. Antwerp centre seems to have approximately ONE cash machine, too.

A wilfully backward society - if covid rams them into the 21st century it would be a blessing for everyone.

[Cuellar]

Pretty sure I got corona on that packed train, too.

[sardines]

Genuinely don't think it would take much for Belgian society to collapse - it's held together by string and paper as it is. An utter shambles of a country.

You sound like one of the EU expats here who sit around "Irish" bars paying 7euros for pints of Carlsberg and complain to other expats about how shit everything is.

We've had pretty much the same run as other countries with densely populated cities struggling to cope.

The trains were  halved as our wilful backwardness allowed most of us to quickly grasp the concept of 'necessary travel only' and extend the home working that was already in place.

[BlodwynPig]

You sound like one of the EU expats here who sit around "Irish" bars paying 7euros for pints of Carlsberg and complain to other expats about how shit everything is.

We've had pretty much the same run as other countries with densely populated cities struggling to cope.

The trains were  halved as our wilful backwardness allowed most of us to quickly grasp the concept of 'necessary travel only' and extend the home working that was already in place.

Like, sardines.

[Cuellar]

You sound like one of the EU expats here who sit around "Irish" bars paying 7euros for pints of Carlsberg and complain to other expats about how shit everything is.

We've had pretty much the same run as other countries with densely populated cities struggling to cope.

The trains were  halved as our wilful backwardness allowed most of us to quickly grasp the concept of 'necessary travel only' and extend the home working that was already in place.

I have a long and distinguished history of enjoying Belgian beers, and I have an A* in GCSE Dutch and was once, in Amsterdam, mistaken for someone who CAME from Belgium such was my proficiency in the language so I reckon you feel pretty silly right now

[bgmnts]

I have a long and distinguished history of enjoying Belgian beers, and I have an A* in GCSE Dutch and was once, in Amsterdam, mistaken for someone who CAME from Belgium such was my proficiency in the language so I reckon you feel pretty silly right now

Why weren't you mistaken for a Dutch?

[Cuellar]

Cos I spoke Dutch with an accent, probably because I've spent so much time in Belgium. Another Dutch told me I sounded like a Belgian on a separate occasion. I was proud. I love Belgium.

[badaids]

On the radio in Brussels this morning there was an anonymous doctor who was almost in tears saying that in 1-2 weeks the system will be completely overwhelmed without further measures.  The presenter's point was that Belgium can just get support from France or Netherlands, can't we?  And therein lies the problem.  The massive disconnect between the issue and preparedness to do anything about it.  Everyone here saying that we should so this or that, and then just carrying on as normal.

[bgmnts]

Cos I spoke Dutch with an accent, probably because I've spent so much time in Belgium. Another Dutch told me I sounded like a Belgian on a separate occasion. I was proud. I love Belgium.

Why did you slag it off then!?

[Cuellar]

Because it's beautiful and infuriating.

[sardines]

The massive disconnect between the issue and preparedness to do anything about it.  Everyone here saying that we should so this or that, and then just carrying on as normal.

Could you not apply that to most people everywhere?

Worth saying for those unaware that Brussels bars and restaurants were closed down two weeks ago and the rest of the country followed almost immediately after. School holidays have been extended. We are closer to full lockdown than anywhere else in Europe.

[Garam]

Isn't Belgium the worst hit country per capita by far?

[BlodwynPig]

Isn't Belgium the worst hit country per capita by far?

San Marino
Peru
Belgium

by death

[bgmnts]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4POr288N64&ab_channel=SkyNews

Kinda reminded me of the fact that when people brush off the virus as only killing old and vulnerable people (as if that's not a disgusting thing to think anyway) that young children can also be quite vulnerable.

And of course the comments section there is fucking vile.

[A Hat Like That]

The update I've got today is that pretty much all of Western Europe has collectively jumped in the shite this week.

I think the Belgian health minister (?) got it right last week (??) - there's nothing much we can do other than shut down fully again. Great.

[Alberon]

Belgium is not doing well, but isn't it the case they have a much broader definition of Covid death than anywhere else?

[BlodwynPig]

Belgium is not doing well, but isn't it the case they have a much broader definition of Covid death than anywhere else?

One of the Profs over there going on a Linkedin rant at the government. "You've had 6 months to prepare!!!"

[Alberon]

Isn't Belgium the country where they went over a year without a government as the previous election was totally undecisive?

FAKE EDIT: Yeah, it was. And they only recently ended another lengthy period of around 600 days without one.

[BlodwynPig]

Isn't Belgium the country where they went over a year without a government as the previous election was totally undecisive?

FAKE EDIT: Yeah, it was. And they only recently ended another lengthy period of around 600 days without one.

A fraction of the time of the UK then

[sardines]

Belgium is not doing well, but isn't it the case they have a much broader definition of Covid death than anywhere else?

Exactly that.
I'm not sure what it is in the human psyche that turns this into a national pissing contest.
Though I suppose now is the time to say haha Germany and France have  also admitted they are fucked. Fuck you Fambo Number Mive!

[Sebastian Cobb]

Isn't Belgium the country where they went over a year without a government as the previous election was totally undecisive?

FAKE EDIT: Yeah, it was. And they only recently ended another lengthy period of around 600 days without one.

Didn't Denmark do that as well?