The Flemish Government will ask the Superior Health Council for additional advice on the vaccination rollout, specifically on whether there are groups that should be given priority.
The decision to consult the Superior Health Council on this topic was made following a meeting between the heads of the Flemish Government.
"We are now asking whether there are any new insights since the last advice as to whether, and which, priority target groups could be vaccinated in addition to the over-65s and people with underlying health conditions,” Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon’s spokesperson told De Morgen.
Last week, Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts urged the regional government to include teachers in the next priority groups, however, Flemish Public Health Minister Wouter Beke said this would not happen, in line with a previous decision that, with the exception of police officers, there would be no priority groups following the vaccination of all people with underlying conditions.
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In vaccination centres in Vilvoorde and Machelen, reserve lists of teachers have already been set up for when other people do not respond to their invitation, going in against the advice of the Flemish government.
Virologist Steven Van Gucht discussed the vaccination prioritisation of teachers on Tuesday during a press conference of the Crisis Centre, saying it is a “very sensitive subject.”
“If we do consider prioritising them, it would be to protect their function and to ensure that schools can remain open. However, infection risks do not stop there, as there can still be infections between pupils.”
“At the moment, the half a million vaccines we have in reserve now should be reserved for people most at risk of complications and death,” he said.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times