12 February 2021: The vaccination campaign is confronted with ongoing supply issues…

12 February 2021: In the week to 8 February on average 2053 people tested positive each day in Belgium. The figure is down 13% on the week. Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign in residential care centers is making good progress. 70% of the centres have already started administering second doses of the vaccine. Hospitals, however, are not able to vaccinate new staff member this week, they are only able to administer a second dose to those who had already receive a first one. From next week, vaccination centres all over Flanders will open, but the campaign has been delayed before it even started, due to new delivery issues and uncertain supply schedules. General practitioners and home nurses will be the first ones to be vaccinated in the centres, and from mid-March, it will be the rest of the adult population’s turn, starting with people with underlying conditions. What it means for people above 55 who will not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine is still unclear to me. While calculations about how many vaccines can be used the coming weeks, and for which groups, are ongoing, frustration is growing across the country. In the midst of this vaccination mess, I continue to enjoy the winter wonderland downtown Ghent - The Small Beguinage O.L.V. Ter Hooyen, Ghent, Belgium