20 December 2020: When will the outbreak end and life get back to normal?

20 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The coronavirus infection numbers continue to rise. Over the last week an average of 2,519 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 each day. There is also a slight rise in the 7-day rolling average for the number of people being hospitalised with the virus. The question thatwe all are posing is when will it end and when will we be able to get on with our lives? The rapid progression of COVID-19-vaccine candidates over the past several months has been a historic scientific accomplishment but will we be able to throw everything open once we have vaccinated the vulnerable groups or will we need to wait until everyone has been vaccinated before the measures to curb the spread of the virus can be significantly relaxed? Once we have vaccinated care home residents and emergency service workers and carers, we will be occupied with the whole group of over 65’s until long after March. We also should not forget that not only very old people are lying in hospital, but that there are also the people in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’swith underlying conditions. It is clear the current strategy of shutting down large parts of society is not sustainable in the long-term. The social and economic damage would be catastrophic. So, when is the day we should be looking forward to? If you ask Erica Vlieghe, one of our lead virologists it will take until Easter before the measures can be relaxed. A couple of more months to go… Meanwhile, I continue you to enjoy the Christmas decoration downtown Ghent. On display today is a modern version of the “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” projected on the belfry – Sint-Baafsplein, Ghent, Belgium.