8 November 2020: There is hope – The reproduction number in Belgium dropped under 1 and Joe Biden is set to become the next president of the US

8 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The average number of people testing positive per day over the past week has fallen with a quarter. Belgium also reported a slight fall in the total number of patients being hospitalized with the virus, however, the pressure on intensive care units continues to rise and the number of deaths has gone up. The reproduction number came down to 0.99. There was also other good news. Last evening the US media declared Joe Biden as next president. What a week! This was a close election, far closer than it should have been, and there is simply no excuse for that. If we were looking at a foreign country with America’s level of political dysfunction, we would probably consider it on the edge of becoming a failed state. Anyway, let’s hope that the worst of the pandemic is behind us and that the US slowly but surely will recover from the deepest political crisis it has seen in decades. On display today is a panoramic shot of the Graslei, one of the most beautiful spots in the center of the city – Graslei, Ghent, Belgium.