24 May 2021: We decided to refrain from travelling and to enjoy the museums in our hometown until we receive our second jab…

24 May 2021: The pressure on hospitals continues to ease. The number of Covid patients receiving treatment in Belgian hospitals has dropped below 1,500 of which 544 are in intensive carewardens. Unfortunately, the number of new infections is up again. During the week from 14 to 20 May an average of 2,409 people tested positive for coronavirus each day. This is up 5% on the average for the previous week. Meanwhile, the Indian variant has taken hold in the UK to such an extent that the planned relaxations of the Covid rules may be in jeopardy. In Belgium the spread of the Indian variant is much less serious, however, by now we know that the virus is not bothered by borders. The good news is that a British study shows that both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the AZ vaccine are both effective against the Indian mutation. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine achieved 88% effectiveness against the Indianvariant, but that figure is only achieved after a second dose. In the case of AstraZeneca 60% effectiveness was achieved in the study. Since the study shows that both vaccines are only 33% effective against the Indian mutation after a single dose this difference in effectiveness may be explained by the slower roll-out of AZ, which means that fewer people have yet had their second dose. In any case, until we receive our second jab, we’ll refrain from travelling and continue to enjoy the local museums – STAM, Ghent City Museum, Belgium.