Belgium tops EU vaccination league

Belgium tops EU vaccination league
Credit: Belga

Belgium is currently the fastest country in the European Union when it comes to the number of coronavirus vaccines administered per 100 inhabitants.

According to the graph containing Our World in Data figures, Belgium has on average administered around 1.27 coronavirus vaccines per 100 inhabitants in the last week.

"We are at the top of the league in terms of the number of vaccines given per 100 people," Flemish Minister of Welfare and Public Health Wouter Beke, who shared the graph on Twitter, said.

The graph showed the Netherlands was just behind Belgium, with on average 1.18 being administered per 100 people, and neighbouring Luxembourg in third place. Bulgaria and Ireland currently have the slowest rollout of all EU countries.

Beke added that, in Flanders, 1 in 2 people have received at least one shot, which equates to almost 63% of the adult population, which he said, is "even faster than the Belgian average."

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In the coming two weeks, 1.3 million shots are expected to be administered in Flanders, of which 1 million are first doses, and by 21 June, the start of the summer, Beke said the vaccination coverage (of first doses) should be as high as 70% of the Flemish adult population.

According to figures from the Agency for Care and Health, Flanders is at the top of the European table when it comes to vaccination coverage, the percentage of the adult population that has already received at least one shot.

On Sunday, during VRT's "De zevende dag", Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that, as a society, "we have risen above ourselves to some extent" to achieve these goals.

As of Saturday, over 60% of the entire adult population in Belgium has received a least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, whilst 33% of the adult population has been fully vaccinated.

On Friday, Belgium's Vaccine Task Force said that, by the end of the month, 70-75% of the entire adult population should have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and by August, the same percentage should be fully vaccinated.

Brussels, which on Friday evening opened up the waiting list for coronavirus vaccinations to all adults, has the lowest vaccination rate at 44%.

In Flanders and Wallonia, the coverage rate is 63% and 62% respectively, and in the German-speaking region of Belgium, the rate is the highest at 66%.

De Croo emphasised that vaccinations are the foothold on which to ease, and will drive the decision made during the next Consultative Committee on Friday.


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