The number of new coronavirus infections in Belgium is currently highest in the group of 10 to 20-year-olds, health officials said during a press conference on Monday.
As the number of new infections is rising across the country, the age distribution of these new cases seems to be gradually shifting towards a predominance for the group between 10 and 20 years old, said Boudewijn Catry of national health institute Sciensano.
"The infections in teenagers and twenty-somethings are similar at the moment, but in absolute numbers, the highest numbers have been recorded among teenagers over the last few days," he said.
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The figures come three weeks after the start of the new school year, which saw all primary and secondary schools across the country open their doors, which several experts had already labelled "a challenge" ahead of time, as they considered the number of daily infections too high for a safe opening.
Additionally, a rise that is higher than the national average is also being recorded in the people over 60 years old. "This means that we can expect more serious cases in the long term," Catry added.
This week, the new academic year also begins, which is always "accompanied by multiple and new contacts, which entails a risk of the virus spreading more widely," Catry said, urging students to respect the rules.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
