16 March 2021: The number of infections and hospitalizations continue to increase…

16 March 2021: There is a further increase in number of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the week to 12 March 2832 people tested positive, this is an increase of 20% on the week. Also, the number of hospitalizations is up. During the week from 8 to 14 March an average of 162 people with COVID-19 were admitted to Belgian hospitals each day. This is a rise of 11% on the 7-day rolling average for the previous week. As a third wave of the pandemic is about to take off all over Europe, questions about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine are growing. Yesterday, Germany, France, Italy and Spain joined the list of countries who temporarily haled its use. The decisions followed reports that a handful of people who had received the vaccine had developed fatal brain hemorrhages and blood clots. Belgium announced that it will continue to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine until the EMA advises otherwise because it believes that the benefits still outweigh the risks. Today I’m posting another vignette from the Aiguille du Midi - French Alps, Chamonix, France.