3 February 2021: Belgium will not use AstraZeneca vaccine for over 55s, for now…

3 February 2021: In the week to 30 January on average 2,348 people tested positive each day in Belgium. The figure is up 8% on the week. The plateau phase of the figures that we have known for some time continues. For ten weeks now, the infection figures have been fluctuating between weekly averages of 2,000 to 2,500 infections per day. Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign continues unabated. Until last week, more than 280,000 people had been vaccinated, or about 3% of the adult Belgian population. Twee weeks ago, vaccination in hospitals has started and yesterday morning it was still expected that healthy adults will start to be vaccinated before summer. Yesterday evening, however, also Belgium decided not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine for over 55s, due to a lack of data on its efficacy in that age group. Later this morning the government will meet and assess the impact of the decision on the vaccination strategy and the timing of its roll-out. Also, in the Netherlands things continue to change. The anticipated decision to lift the curfew as of 10 February has been postponed. In the midst of this rollercoaster, I continue to capture my hometown. What I find during my daily corona walks is sometimes surreal, ugly, paradoxical and complex. It’s a little bit of everything and a little bit of nothing but it’s unique in it’s own right – Ghent, Belgium.