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Belgium's response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2021

Jeroen Luyten Open the ORCID record for Jeroen Luyten [Opens in a new window]  and
Erik Schokkaert Open the ORCID record for Erik Schokkaert [Opens in a new window]
Jeroen Luyten
Affiliation:
Leuven Institute for Healthcare Policy, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Erik Schokkaert*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, B-3000Leuven, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author. Email: erik.schokkaert@kuleuven.be
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Abstract

Belgium is often seen as an outlier in the international experience with the coronavirus disease 2019. We summarize the unfolding of the pandemic in Belgium from February to December 2020, discuss the countermeasures that were implemented and provide some explanations why the numbers indicate a stronger pandemic in Belgium than in its neighbouring countries. To some extent, the seemingly poor performance of Belgium is a measurement artefact. Yet, there were indeed particular factors in Belgium that unnecessarily increased the toll of the pandemic. In the first wave insufficient priority was given to protect care homes. The second wave was larger than necessary due to a failure to timely implement restrictive measures. The latter can, at least partly, be explained by a unique political situation: a temporary, minority government in the middle of a major crisis.

Keywords

BelgiumCOVID-19mortalitypolitical decision-making
Type
Article
Information
Health Economics, Policy and Law , Volume 17 , Special Issue 1: SPECIAL ISSUE: Country Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic , January 2022 , pp. 37 - 47
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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