The 11,500 people currently staying in the 137 rest homes in Brussels should hopefully have received their first injection of the coronavirus vaccine by the end of January, the region announced on Monday.
The first vaccine administered in the Brussels Region was given to Lucie Danjou who, at the age of 101, is the oldest resident of the Notre-Dame de Stockel nursing home in the Brussels commune of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
The vaccine was administered, to thunderous applause, in the presence of the Brussels Minister of Health Alain Maron, the director of the nursing home, and some staff members.
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"The vaccination campaign does not really start until January 5, but it was important for us to administer the first vaccines to the nursing home residents, elderly people who often already have other health problems and who live in groups," said Maron. "They are without a doubt the largest risk group. Vaccination is the latest step in a series of measures we have taken since March to protect them,"
About 11,500 people are currently staying in the 137 rest homes in Brussels. The Brussels-Capital Region hopes to vaccinate all of them in the first three weeks of January. The schedule is:
- On January 5, the first wave will start with 50 rest homes.
- On January 11th, 60 more will follow.
- On the week of January 18th, it will be the turn of the last ones.
If a nursing home experiences a breakout of the virus in the two weeks prior to vaccination, the vaccination will be postponed.
The Brussels Times