13 March 2021: Doubts and cancellations at vaccinations centres…

13 March 2021: The latest figures on the coronavirus pandemic in Belgium. For the fifth consecutive day they show a slight fall in the number of people with the virus that are being hospitalized. However, there is a rise in the 7-day rolling average for the number of people testing positive for the virus. On average in the week to 9 March 2522 people tested positive each day. The figure is up 7% on the week. More than 80% of the increase can be attributed to an increase in infections among children under the age of 10. The reason given for this increase is that a lot more tests have been carried out on children since the schools started back after the half term break. The other part of the increase is contributed to an increased number of virus outbreaks at the workplace. Other noteworthy news is that vaccination centres reported an increased number of cancellations from people that were due to be vaccinated in the coming days. The cancellations have come amid concerns about possible side effects of the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Clearly, the Danish story about the blood clots isn’t good for the preparedness of people to get vaccinated. Let’s hope that the investigations of the EMA can put this issue to bed as soon as possible. We don’t need another hick up in the vaccination campaign. On display today is another picture from downtown Ghent. How long will it still take before the city will again be crowded with tourists? – Sint-Baafsplein, Ghent, Belgium.