Getting the booster vaccination dose is the best way to make sure that the summer can be as free of measures as possible, said virologist Steven Van Gucht
While Van Gucht called the booster campaign in Belgium "generally a success," he added that the figures show that the enthusiasm to get a third dose has waned in recent weeks.
"But the booster vaccination is the best guarantee for a carefree summer," he said, calling on everyone who is eligible to get the booster vaccination as soon as they can and drawing attention to the large regional differences.
In Flanders, 64% of the adult population has been boostered already, compared to 48% in Wallonia and 31% in Brussels. In total, nearly 6.4 million Belgian residents have received a booster vaccination.
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Van Gucht stressed that people over the age of 65 who have had their booster are about 75% better protected against hospitalisation and admission to ICU than people without the extra shot.
"The booster vaccination ensures broader immunity among the population, which in turn ensures better protection against possible future variants of the coronavirus," he said. "It is also important for our immunological memory, so that in time, we can also go to code yellow on the barometer."
The coronavirus barometer entered into force today, with the entire country starting in code red. All the rule changes that take effect today can be found here, and a more in-depth explanation about the barometer here.
