Brussels lags behind in vaccination of healthcare providers

Brussels lags behind in vaccination of healthcare providers
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More than nine in ten healthcare workers in Belgium have been vaccinated, but in Brussels, that figure drops to 75%.

Despite the many vaccination campaigns and the government's plans to soon make vaccination mandatory for healthcare providers, the vaccination rate among Brussels healthcare providers is still lagging behind that of the rest of the country, Bruzz reports.

The same goes for the booster dose: nationwide, three-quarters of healthcare workers have received a third dose of a vaccine, but in Brussels, that number is just one in two.

“We sometimes have institutions where the vaccination rate is even lower than 40%,” project manager of the Taskforce vaccination Sabine Stordeur told RTBF, citing a lack of confidence and the fear of possible side effects as reasons for the lower figures.

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“There are still people who think that the vaccine will have long-term effects on DNA, on fertility, and so on,” said Inge Neven of the Brussels health inspectorate. “There is also an element of trust. There are people who do not believe that vaccination is the only way out of the crisis.”

Strodeur emphasised that raising awareness remains important. If that’s not enough, she believes the next step is “either to move towards compulsory vaccination, or towards the vaccination passport.”


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