Prime Minister Alexander De Croo received his first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday morning at the vaccination centre in Zottegem.
De Croo thanked all the volunteers who are working at the vaccination centres, including Gaienne Hutse, a retired residential care centre nurse who administered the shot, and called on everyone to get their vaccine.
"Thanks to Gaienne for giving me the shot early this morning. Every shot is another step towards a great summer," De Croo said on Twitter.
Merci à Gaienne de m'avoir vacciné tôt ce matin. Chaque piqûre est un pas de plus en direction d'un bel été.
Énorme merci à tous les soignants et bénévoles qui font tourner nos centres de vaccination à plein régime ! pic.twitter.com/QNRSLE14Lw — Alexander De Croo (@alexanderdecroo) June 12, 2021
De Croo praised the operations at the vaccination centre in Zottegem, saying it "all went very smoothly, everyone was very friendly and motivated," and added that the vaccination campaign as a whole is going full steam ahead.
"It's great to see that there is so much willingness to be vaccinated. Thanks to vaccinations we are well on the way to a summer without worries, with more freedom. The more people who get vaccinated, the sooner more can be done for young people, for example", De Croo told Belga news agency
Federal Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden will also receive her first dose this afternoon at the Park Spoor Oost vaccination centre in Antwerp.
In Belgium, 59% of the adult population has received a first dose of the vaccine, equating to just over 5.4 million people, whilst 2,864,013 people, or 31% of the adult population, have been fully vaccinated.
Brussels, which on Friday evening opened up the waiting list for coronavirus vaccinations to all adults, has the lowest vaccination rate at 43%.
In Flanders and Wallonia, the coverage rate is 61% and 60% respectively, and in the German-speaking region of Belgium, the rate is the highest at 65%.
