View allAll Photos Tagged SARSCoV2
14 May 2021: More than 40% of the adult population in Belgium have already received their first coronavirus vaccine jab and in a couple of hours from now I’m one of them. While the number of people testing positive for the virus remains more or less stable at a level that is still very high, the significant fall in the number of COVID-19 patients being cared for in the country’s hospitals continues. There are 657 patients being treated in intensive care for Covid-19 and a total of 2,024 people hospitalised with a coronavirus infection, a fall of 18% compared with a week ago. During the week from 4 to 10 May an average of 2,852 people in Belgium tested positive for the coronavirus each day this figure is down 4% on the average for the previous week. The reproduction number continues to stand at 0.91. With the vaccination campaign moving at full speed, everybody is hoping that the dark and rainy days are over. Let’s hope that the Indian mutation of the virus doesn’t spoil the party. Therefore, all eyes are now on the UK, and the progress of the Indian mutation, which is much more present there than it is here. On display today is the skyline of Ghent from the Museum of Industry – Ghent, Belgium.
Objektiv Zeiss Flektogon 4/25 an SONY A5000
Bildflächennutzung ggü. Kleinbild: 43%
Bildflächennutzung ggü. Bildkreis << 25% (Makro)
24 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The peak of the second wave is now two weeks behind us, and we are seeing a further decline in infection, hospital and death rates albeit the decrease is slowing down. Yesterday AstraZeneca and the Oxford University published interim results from large-scale clinical trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil of their Covid-19 candidate vaccine. Interim results show that the vaccine is 90% effective if inoculated in two stages: half a dose first, before a full dose a month later. It drops to 62% if the vaccination consists of two injections of a full dose. But there have been no severe cases, nor any hospitalisation. Hence, also this vaccine can claim a very high effectiveness. Net-net, the road is still long, and it will not be without obstacles but as a minimum we now have three powerful vaccines in the final stretch for being distributed. The more vaccines there are, the more manufacturing and distribution capacity there is, the better it is to resolve the situation and counter the impact of Covid-19 on our lives. On display a beautiful seascape to cheer up the day – Albertstrand, Knokke, Belgium.
12 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid continues to fall. The number of new infections is also decreasing. That said, over 7,000 patients with Covid are still in hospital and the daily death toll continues to rise. Whilst the situation is still very worrying, we seem to have passed the peak of new cases of COVID-19 in Belgium and most of the other European countries. Yesterday was Armistice Day in Belgium; 11 November marks the effective end of World War I. The ceremonies to honor the millions that fell during The Great War were conducted in corona-style. In Ypres the ceremony was cut down to ten minutes and only the core elements were retained. Only a couple of dozen witnessed the ceremony from afar with only six people permitted to stand under the Menin Gate, the monument to commemorate British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave. Also, the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels was more sober than usual. King Philippe lit the eternal flame and the Last Post bugle call resounded but there was no band or large crowd present at the event. On display is a picture I took at the Tyne Cot Memorial. The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defense and liberation of Belgium during The Great War. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war - Ypres in Belgium.
4 July 2021: We have not been traveling abroad during the corona pandemic instead we enjoyed Belgium’s cities of art and its art festivals. On display is a work of Henrique Oliveira. The wooden branches that crawl over the stone edge to the water is a work that he made at the occasion of the third edition of the Triennial Bruges. This year’s edition is in search of the hidden dimensions of the city. For many, Bruges is a dream destination, seemingly picture perfect, but is it? In Oliveira’s work it seems as if nature has free rein behind the walled city but has it. I’m sure that many environmentalists would not agree. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus infections is up for the second day in a row, but hospitalizations and fatalities continue to fall. During the week from 24 to 30 June an average of 404 people tested positive for the coronavirus. This is 14% up on the figures for the previous week. On Friday 2 July, hospitals reported 21 hospitalisations. This brings the total number of COVID-19 patients that are being cared for in Belgian hospitals to 271, a fall of 29% on a week ago. Of those hospitalised 123 patients are on ICUs. There are three reasons for the increase in number of infections. First, the holiday period has begun and there has been a big increase in the number of tests that are being carried out. Second, the more contagious delta variant is gaining ground. Last, there have been the impact of the relaxations and the fact that more people are going easy on the basic rules of social distancing and the wearing of face masks. Subject experts, however, are saying that as long as the number of hospitalizations is going down, we shouldn’t be too concerned about the increase in the number of infections. Let’s hope they are right – Augustijnenrei, Bruges, Belgium.
17 January 2021: On average during the week to 13 January 1,969 people a day tested positive for the coronavirus. The figure is up 10% on the week. Although the figures show a further rise in the 7-day rolling average of the number of people testing positive for the virus, the rise continues to be less sharp than it has been in recent days. As vaccination is the only way out of this mess the out of the blue announcement from Pfizer on Friday that it would not be able to supply EU countries with the weekly quantities of vaccines originally scheduled in the next three to four weeks was badly received and resulted in strong reaction from the government and healthcare professionals. Last night, however, the company corrected its statement and promised that it still would deliver 86.500 doses next week and that the delay would be limited to 1 week. Hence, the impact on the roll-out of the vaccination campaign will be minimal. On display today is another beachscape from a recent leisurely stroll in De Haan – De Haan, Belgium
12 October 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – During the past few days there has been an exponential rise in the number of new infections recorded in Belgium. An average of 3,749 people per day tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 over the past week, with a peak on Wednesday of over 6,000 positive tests, a number never reached before in Belgium in a single day. Over the past two weeks, 349.2 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants! This makes Belgium the second-worst performer in Europe after the Czech Republic (432). As a reference, the Netherlands has 344 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. As a consequence, the hospitals are beginning to buckle under the double strain of rising corona figures at the same time as they are dealing with patients whose treatments had to be postponed at the outset of the epidemic. Both the government and healthcare experts are afraid that if we cannot flatten the curve in the week(s) to come our healthcare system will not hold and, therefore, they don’t rule out a second lockdown. The apocalyptic sky of today’s picture matches well the dramatic and terrifying situation we are confronted with. I took the picture yesterday morning at the Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station – Ghent, Belgium
13 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The corona figures show a continuation of the trend set during the past week with the number of people testing positive and the number of those with the virus that are being hospitalised remaining stable in Belgium. The number of infections still top 2,000, a number that is still way too high to bring us in safe waters. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections continues to rise. On Saturday 9,182 more people tested positive for the viral infection. This pushed the seven-day rolling average in the Netherlands to 7,656, a number which has risen by over 57 percent in ten days. In reaction to the new numbers Mark Rutte scheduled an emergency meeting later today to discuss the escalating coronavirus figures. Also, in Germany the trend is on the reverse and calls are growing for tougher measures. Whilst all warning indicators are on flashing red an increased number of people are queuing yesterday at Brussels airport and Schiphol to take off to sunnier places. I’m flabbergasted… On display is the Dutch parliament during better times – The Hague, The Netherlands
21 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – Within less than 24 hours of the UK announcement that it has been impacted by a more-infectious and “out of control” coronavirus variant Belgium imposed a 24-hour travel ban on the UK. Also, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands are halting flights. All of these countries took the decision “as a precautionary measure” to prevent the spread of a more contagious strain of coronavirus. Later this morning the EU will decide a more coordinated response to this outbreak. The new strain appeared in mid-September in London or in the south-eastern county of Kent.The UK government has informed the WHO that it has been spreading faster than the original strain – up to 70% faster, according to Boris Johnson. In addition to spreading faster, the new strain was also becoming the “dominant” one, leading to a “very high increase” in hospitalisations in December. Also, in Belgium it stopped raining and started pouring, we are reporting more positive tests, more hospitalizations and more fatalities. Clearly, we are heading towards another expediential rise like the one we saw during the first and second wave. Whether we call it a third wave or not we will need to try to keep it as small as possible. The earlier we start curbing the spread of the virus and the better we are at it, the smaller the impact will be. Oh boy there we go again. At the risk of being perceived as heartless in face of so much misery I’m posting another picture of the Christmas decoration downtown Ghent. The shop on the right is our favorite chocolate shop. Sint-Baafsplein, Ghent, Belgium.
17 May 2021: The coronavirus figures continue to fall. During the week from 7 to 13 May an average of 2,267 people in Belgium tested positive for coronavirus each day. This is down 24% on the average for the previous week. There are currently 1,813 patients with COVID-19 being cared for in Belgian hospitals, a fall of 16% on the figures from a week ago. Of those in hospital, 622 are on intensive care wards. The positivity rate is 6% and the reproduction number stands at 0.91. On Friday 14 May 3,851,216 people had already received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine. This is 41.9% of the adult population. Of these 1,277,779 are fully immunised against coronavirus. The Flemish Health Minister announced yesterday that he expects that the vaccination campaign in Flanders will have been completed by mid-August. By then everyone that wishes to be vaccinated will have been given the necessary two vaccine doses (or single dose if the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is used). He added that he also aims to offer all 16- and 17-year-olds in Flanders a coronavirus vaccine by 11 July. Ghent finds back its hustle and bustle now that the positive Corona news continues… - Ghent, Belgium
30 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The measures currently in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus will not be eased before the end-of-year holidays according to Belgium’s Public Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. To begin the debate on easing restrictions the government has established a couple of indicators. One of these indicators is that daily infections over two weeks must be lower than an average of 800 and that must be maintained for three weeks. Another condition is that the number of hospital admissions per day must be less than 75. Yesterday the average number of people testing positive for the virus stood at 2,484 per day and the number of patients admitted to Belgian hospitals was 211. These benchmarks are far from being met. Hence, there will be no Xmas relaxation on the social rules, and we’ll be celebrating Xmas and New Year in our own household with maximum one cuddle contact. It’s going to be a very different Xmas this year, nevertheless, people start decorating their Xmas tree. It’s the first time ever that most of us put our Xmas tree prior to the arrival of St. Nicholas. Will this also be part of the “new normal”? On display today is another view of the large luminous dragon on the Graslei – Ghent, Belgium.
FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (Reg: N604FE) at 33,000ft.
Away from the pavement
Dublin - Ireland
Image copyright flightradar24.com
28 February 2021: All conditions for a third wave of the novel Coronavirus are present in Belgium, including many converging elements. First of all, there was a increase in new infections during the week. In the week to 24 February on average 2400 people tested positive each day. This figure is up 23% on the week. On Friday 26 February more than 200 COVID-19 patients were admitted to Belgian hospitals. This is the highest daily admissions tally since the end of December. Moreover, the reproduction rate has been above 1 for a number of days and is now 1.12. There is also a stronger presence of the more contagious British strain among the new infections in Belgium. Since December, the proportion of cases of this variant has kept on increasing. Finally, a study by the University of Antwerp on people’s compliance and motivation with regard to social distancing and health measures related to COVID-19 shows a very marked drop in the past 10 days in compliance and an increase in close contacts. All of this together makes up for a combustible situation. Yesterday we avoided the city and went for a hike in the wetland northeast from Ghent – Waasland, Belgium.
14 March 2021: The latest figures show an increase in the number of people testing positive for the virus. In the week to 10 March on average 2613 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The figure is up 11% on the week. The number of hospitalizations remain stable. During the week from 6 to 12 March an average of 149 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalised each day. Also, the Netherlands is seeing a sharp increase in infections. The country has for some time recorded an average of 4,500 new infections per day, however, in the last seven days, an average of 5,121 per day has been counted by the RIVM. This is the highest number of Covid-19 infections in eight weeks. Whilst the numbers are moving in the wrong directions AstraZeneca, once again, announced more delivery delays. The company informed the European Commission that it will deliver only half of the 180 million doses promised for the second quarter. That means for Belgium fewer than half of the 4.6 million doses expected from April, at a time when the government’s vaccination roll-out strategy ought to be turning at full speed. The company had decided to move production to sites outside of the EU for deliveries into the EU. The reason: the EU can use its powers to prevent export of vaccines from the EU to third countries if it feels it is being sold short. That happened earlier this month to a shipment due to leave Italy for Australia. But the move of production outside of the EU brought its own problems. According to the company, the vaccines destined for Europe are being held up by export restrictions in the countries concerned. This situation turned into a bad joke. On display today is a windfarm in the North East Polder in Flevoland – Flevoland, The Netherlands
12 April 2021: Between 2 and 8 April 3,558 new cases were reported each day on average, 20 percent less than the week before that. Also, the pressure on Belgian hospitals was slightly down yesterday, with more patients being discharged than being admitted to hospital. The total number of corona patients in Belgian hospitals stands now at 3,027, 905 of them are receiving critical care. The reproduction figure meanwhile remains just below 1, standing at 0.97. This means that the epidemic is shrinking, slowly but surely, for the time being. Speaking on national television yesterday the federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke had no comment on the demand made today for the hospitality industry to be given an assurance that they can reopen on May 1. He did however say that the ban on cross-border travel should be lifted on 18 April as expected. Happy about the promising outlook I continue my search for murals in Ghent and surroundings. Aziëstraat, Ghent, Belgium.
13 January 2021: The sharp increase of number of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 continues. 2,070 people tested positive for the coronavirus on average each day between 3 January and 9 January, a 30 percent rise on the week. The number of daily hospitalizations is still down on the week but also here we’re seeing a slowdown of the trend. Due to this worrying trend, the Belgian government agreed to extend the current measures against the spread of the coronavirus until 1 March. Belgium is not the only country that is extending the lockdown measures, also the Netherlands announced to extend the lockdown until 9 February. As many of us expected, it’s going to get worse before it’s going to get better. The dramatic sky above the city of Ostend captures very well today’s mood. Hang in there…
19 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – Although the number of positive coronavirus tests are increasing more sharply the additional measures the government announced last night were minimal. First, foreign residents coming to Belgium will have to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test before they are allowed to enter the country. Also, anyone be they Belgian or a foreign national that arrives in Belgium from a Red Zone area - most of Europe is currently coloured red on the coronavirus infection map - will be obliged to quarantine for 7 days. Last, there will be stricter checks on cross border shoppers and a stricter enforcement on telework. There were no changes announced regarding the social rules, nor will there be an extended school break. Also, all non-essential shops will remain open. I’m wondering if the decision not to announce a stricter lockdown was driven by a lack of political courage or if it was based on facts and insights. I guess the future will tell. Yesterday’s good news was that the FDA authorized Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use. The vaccine is easier to store and handle than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Also, the EMA received an application for a conditional market approval for the Moderna vaccine and will work on the assessment of the data over the Christmas period. If the data submitted are robust enough to conclude on the quality, safety and effectiveness, the EMA announced that it could authorize the vaccine at an extraordinary meeting scheduled for 12 January at the latest. Today’s vignette of Ghent was taken at one of my corona walks last week – Kraanlei, Ghent, Belgium.
6 April 2021: The peak of the third wave seems to be behind us, but other key indicators are still on the rise. During the week from 27 March to 2 April an average of 4,300 people tested positive for SARCoV-2. The figure is down 10% on the week. 2,921 patients are currently in hospital with Covid. 832 are in intensive care. By 1 April 1,496,083 people in Belgium had received their first shot of the corona vaccine. That’s 16.3% of adults. 569,101 people have had their second jab. Starting as of today everybody in Belgium over 18 can register on the reserve list for coronavirus vaccinations. The list will be used by vaccination centres eager to avoid waste. People will be called up last minute to attend their vaccination centre as extra doses become available e.g. due to no shows. Also, as of today pharmacists will start selling the coronavirus self-tests. The test will require you to swab your nose at a depth of two centimetres. Hoping that spring will mark the end of this unprecedented health crisis, I continue to document my hometown. What I’m seeing is sometimes surreal, ugly, paradoxical and complex. It’s a little bit of everything and a little bit of nothing but it’s unique in its own right. On display today is another mural of Kitsune.– Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat, Ghent, Belgium.
30 December 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – Fewer people are testing positive for the coronavirus, while hospitalisations and deaths too are down. In the week to 26 December on average 1,801 people a day tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The figure is down 28% on the week. The reproduction rate, is now 0.92. Virologists, however, are warning that any impact from family gatherings and vacationers will only be seen in the figures in January. Especially the latter is a cause for concern. To avoid that we are reliving the situation we experienced in March when Belgians came back infected from their vacations, which accelerated the spread of the virus in our country, virologists are arguing for additional measures for travelers and tighter checks at airports, train stations and on the roads. I still don’t understand why people want to travel abroad whilst Belgium has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe. Today’s picture is a proof that during this festive period there is a lot to explore in our own country – Castle of the Counts, Ghent, Belgium.
24 October 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – More than 10,000 people per day are testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. The number of infections is doubling every 9 days which means that during the coming week we will probably be heading towards 20,000 per day. The number of hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 has reached almost 500 per day, meaning that the equivalent of the capacity of one small hospital per day is now being taken up by new COVID-19 patients. The additional measures to curb the spread of the virus for sports, culture, youth movements and higher education that were announced yesterday are seen by many virologists as not sufficient and they are in favour of stricter measures in certain areas, especially concerning teleworking and higher education. Although the effects of last week’s measures are not yet visible in the figures, I couldn’t agree more that stricter rules are definitely necessary. If, in a few days, it turns out that the previous measures did not work, we will have lost another few precious days. Whilst the coronavirus is hitting us very hard, I continue my search for beauty in ugly and/or mundane scenery – Visserijvaart, Ghent, Belgium.
Est-il encore besoin de le présenter ?
Le SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) est le virus responsable de la Covid-19 (Corona Virus Disease). Ce coronavirus est entouré de capsules de protéines en forme de couronne d'où son nom. Comme tout virus, il a besoin de cellules-hôtes pour se répliquer. La protéine Spike (S) qui émerge de la couronne va se fixer aux récepteurs "ACE2" présents à la surface des cellules pour pénétrer dans celles-ci et les infecter.
MINI-MONDES EN VOIE D'ILLUMINATION
"Le monde intérieur"
Jardin des Plantes de Paris
17 October 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The number of infections continues to rise every day, and very rapidly. During the week between 6 and 12 October an average of 5,976 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus every day. Our doctors and hospitals are under heavy pressure. To stop the rising coronavirus infections, hospital admissions and deaths, the government announced yesterday following new measures that will become effective as of Monday:
-We will be allowed to have one close contact, outside our own household.
-We will be allowed to invite up to 4 guests, always the same ones, changing every two weeks.
-Teleworking becomes mandatory there where possible
-Bars and restaurants will close for four weeks.
-There will be a ban installed on selling alcohol after 8:00 PM
-A curfew will be implemented, prohibiting us from leaving our homes for non-essential reasons between midnight and 5:00 AM
These radical measures are probably long overdue, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s going to be a long and dark winter – Damme, Bruges, Belgium
3 January 2021: Update on The Corona Pandemic – During the week from 24 to 30 December an average of 1,600 people/day tested positive for the novel coronavirus. This is down 31% on the 7-day rolling average for the previous week. Despite that the positive trend continues, virologists are urging us to remain vigilant. Up until now there is no evidence that the British stain is widespread in Belgium, but they say that we can’t rule out that it is in circulation. Therefore, they insist that also people with mild complaints, be they children or adults, are tested. They say that in England infections are shifting towards younger age groups and although there is still no conclusive evidence that children are the motor behind the spread of the virus, they are arguing to start testing children under the age of 12 as soon as they are having the slightest symptoms. Based on this the government decided that the measures currently in force in schools to curb the spread of coronavirus will not be relaxed before next month’s half-term break. The current situation whereby all primary school children and those in the first and second years of secondary school attend classes full time will remain in force. Those in the third year of secondary school and above will continue to be taught 50% at school and 50% by digital distance learning methods. Also, the number of rapid coronavirus tests available to schools will be extended from sometime next week. Today’s picture was taken during yesterday’s hike in the muddy fields of the Flemish Ardennes – Flemish Ardennes, Belgium.
15 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – Over the last week on average 6,213 per day people tested positive for the coronavirus. Also, fewer people had to go to hospital to receive treatment for coronavirus infections: the daily average for the past week was calculated at 486, which is about a quarter down on the week. The number of people that are treated on the ICU remains more or less stable. Unfortunately, the number of fatalities is still on the rise. It has now reached 201 per day in the past week, lifting the total number of Covid deaths in Belgium to more than 14,000. Yesterday’s encouraging news was that The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it plans to give its opinion in favour of a first vaccine against the new coronavirus by the end of the year, with a view to distribution from January. However, it doesn’t mean we will be out of the woods as of then. The vaccine will be available to only a very small slice of Europeans at first, a complex distribution strategy needs to be put in place and the results of the first vaccination campaign will only be seen months later. Net-net, we still have a long way to go before we can return to our normal lives. I hope that today’s beautiful autumn colors make it all a bit more palatable – Citadelpark, Ghent, Belgium.
13 May 2021: Some silver lining from the corona front but we are still in the danger zone. On average, 156 new Covid patients had to be taken to hospital each day over the past week, a substantial drop on the week. There are 686 patients being treated in intensive care for Covid-19 and a total of 2,101 people hospitalised with a coronavirus infection. The number of new cases, however, is flat. Between 3 May and 9 May, an average of 2,993 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, the figures is flat compared to the previous week. The reproduction number stands at 0.91. Meanwhile, virologists continue to express their concerns after the different governments in Belgium announced a whole series of relaxations with regard to corona restrictions for the coming summer. Other noteworthy news was that the interval between first and second AstraZeneca jab has been reduced from 12 to 8 weeks. Nothing changes, however, for those who already had their first AstraZeneca dose, or for those who already have an invitation. These people will still have to wait the full 12 weeks before getting their second jab. The latter does not make me a happy camper… Anyway, here’s another vignette of Ghent during this unprecedented health crisis – Ghent, Belgium
I’m watching with great concern the renewed increase in infection numbers in Belgium and in almost every other part of Europe. If you think about it, this second wave shouldn’t come as a surprise. Lockdowns were lifted abruptly, resulting in complacency among people who felt they could return to their normal lives. In the face of intense political pressures, European leaders have been reluctant to impose new, economically damaging lockdowns, often opting for the lightest possible measures. Now we have to face the consequences. In France, President Macron declared yesterday the state of emergency and imposed a curfew of 9:00 pm to 6:00 am in Paris and other metropolitan areas as of Saturday. In Catalonia the authorities closed bars and restaurants for 15 days. As I wrote yesterday, in the Netherlands the government announced a limited lockdown. Many other countries are most likely to follow with similar measures. In Belgium, last Friday, over 7,000 people tested positive for coronavirus for the first time. It was the fifth day in a row that new infections rose above the 5,000 mark. The number of patients admitted to Belgian hospitals and those in intensive care is also growing rapidly. Experts say that at this rate, the maximum capacity of 2,000 intensive care beds in our country could be reached by mid-November. Net-net, the situation is alarming across the continent! On display today a picture of the most famous Paris Landmark from November 2013. Today’s pandemic would at best have been the subject of a bad bad sci-fi movie at that time – Paris, France.
5 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The number of new infections is stabilising and the increase in the number of hospitalisations is slowing down. That isn’t coming a day too soon: 1,351 patients are currently receiving critical care. That number is expected to rise further and will most likely reach a peak in two weeks’ time. Yesterday, the University Hospital in Ghent was already sounding the alarm. The hospital currently has 52 Covid patients in critical care and says that it won’t be able to accept any more critical care patients by the end of the weekend. Clearly, we did not yet leave the danger zone and it doesn’t look like the crisis will get any better soon. Belgium’s Prime Minister warned yesterday that strict measures will have to remain in force until there is a vaccine in early summer. Meanwhile, the US recorded over 100,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time since the pandemic began. The US is facing multiple challenges – a monthlong pandemic, economic devastation and a polarized society. Add on top the current political turmoil and you have a combustible situation. If President Trump loses his bid for re-election, as it increasingly starts to look like, he will not go quietly away. I’m wondering what the future will bring. Right now we’re all looking at the world through a haze… – San Francisco, CA, USA
21 May 2021: The coronavirus figures continue to improve. However, the latest figures also show that the virus is far from gone. During the week from 11 to 17 May an average of 2,117 people in Belgium tested positive for coronavirus each day and yesterday, 114 new patients had to be hospitalized. Vaccination has played an important role in the positive evolution of the figures, and on top of that, the vaccines are also proving effective against the mutations that are currently being identified, however, the threat is not gone and there are still uncertainties, therefore, the regional director of the WHO Europe urged us to remain cautious and to reconsider or avoid non-essential international travel. We decided to stay put in Ghent and to continue to explore our hometown for the next couple of weeks. On display is an abstract of a loom in the Museum of Industry – Ghent, Belgium.
26 February 2021: In the week to 22 February on average 2293 people tested positive each day in Belgium. The figure is up 23% on the week. In light of these deteriorating statistics the group of experts that advises the government stated that the present epidemiological situation does not allow for any relaxations during the next four weeks. I’m wondering what the latest say of the government will be. Will they be able to resist the mounting demand of pressure groups requesting immediate relaxation of the current measures? Me personally, I’m in full agreement with the experts: there is no leeway for relaxations in March. Since the figures started rising during the weekend, Ghent has reported the highest fourteen-day average for coronavirus infections out of all the major cities in Belgium. The symptoms with which patients present themselves at the hospital are generally more severe than in previous weeks. Additionally, patients are also deteriorating faster. Around half of the patients who tested positive for the virus in the hospital are requiring intensive care, and new hospital admissions are no longer mainly elderly people. According to a lung specialist at the University Hospital of Ghent, these symptoms are typical of the start of a new wave. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worse. Meanwhile, in between ongoing video conferences I’m finding joy in taking pictures in Ghent and surroundings and/or in curating images out of my archive. Today’s post is from the midst of this year’s winter snap, just over a week ago – Citadelpark, Ghent, Belgium.
14 April 2021: The confirmed new infections and the number of hospital admissions continue to fall, albeit the fall is not as sharp as we might have hoped. Between 4 and 10 April 3,452 new cases were reported each day on average, 19 percent less than the week before that. However, far fewer tests are being carried out, 32% less compared with the previous week and the percentage of positive tests has risen to 9,4% which shows that the virus is still circulating strongly. Meanwhile, the fall in the number of hospitalisations remains modest at 5% per week but the total number of people in hospital continues to fluctuate around 900. Adding to this suboptimal situation was J&J’s announcement that it will temporally halt the shipments of its vaccine. The decision followed the recommendation from the FDA to temporarily pause using the vaccine, after six cases of rare blood clots were reported in the US after vaccination. Exactly the same rare side effects as we’ve seen with the other vector vaccine from AstraZeneca. Being an American company J&J is more risk adverse and is shying away from potential financial liabilities and decided to stop all shipments despite the fact that the benefits from the vaccine significantly outweigh the potential risks. In light of all of this I do not think that the time is ripe for major relaxations. I’m wondering what the government will decide after having analyzed all data of the pandemic and taken into consideration the socio-economic impact of the lockdown later today. On display today is a mural from A squid called Sebastian – Voetweg, Ghent, Belgium.
12 June 2021: A recent study carried out by Sciensano, the Belgian public health institute, has found that the coronavirus vaccines are proving highly effective. The study found that no more that 3 out of every 1,000 people that had already been fully immunised became infected with the coronavirus. Moreover, of these 2 out 3 showed no symptoms. There is more good news… From Wednesday, 16 June Belgium, as one of the first European countries, will start issuing the European Digital COVID Certificate. It will be issued to people that have been fully immunised for at least two weeks, have had and recovered from coronavirus within the past 6 months or have had a PCR test and tested negative for coronavirus prior to their departure. The only worrying news is that whilst the British variant is still dominant in Belgium, the more infectious Indian variant (delta variant) is gaining ground. Last week it accounted for 1.3% of all infections, this is 3.9% this week. Meanwhile, the corona figures continue to fall sharply. There are currently 820 COVID-19 patients being cared for in Belgian hospitals; of those hospitalised 302 are on intensive care wards. During the week from 2 to 8 June an average of 1,078 people in Belgium tested positive for the coronavirus. This is 37% down on the figures from the previous week. The positivity rate dropped to 3.3 and the reproductive rate fell to 0.83. Finally, it looks like we are emerging out of the darkness into the light… Tweebruggenstraat, Ghent, Belgium.
14 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The number of new hospital admissions, as well as the total number of patients admitted, continues to decrease slightly, however, the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care has been on a plateau since last week.Therefore, the Belgian government decided yesterday that, despite the slight improvements, the current lockdown measures will stay in place for at least two more weeks. According to Belgian scientists about 10% to 20% of the Belgian population will have antibodies against the coronavirus after this second wave of infections. That is still very far from the 60% to 70% immunity rate we would like to reach to ensure sufficient immunity in the country. Hence, the pursuit of herd immunity through natural infections, i.e. without a vaccine, seems to be a wrong idea. For a deadly virus in a country as Belgium, where almost a third of the population belongs to a risk group, it is a strategy that is way too dangerous. It would take an inhuman toll on human lives. Statisticians estimated that the death toll it would take to achieve sufficient immunity is 60,000 or more. Hence, the only option we have left is to limit our contacts, and to follow the measures until we can create sufficient immunity with the help of a vaccine. Healthcare professionals are warning that any major relaxation prior to the holidays could be disastrous for the health sector and may result in a Christmas rush into the ICU. It looks like I’m going to have to continue my search for interesting and/or beautiful scenes in my hometown for a while. On display today is another picture of the Belfry Tower – Ghent, Belgium.
25 July 2021: Virtually all corona indicators are continuing to edge higher in Belgium, but increases are lower than in recent days. Between 15 and 21 July, an average of 1,384 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, a 8% increase from the average of the previous week. There are currently 273 people in hospital because of the coronavirus of whom 84 people are treated in intensive care. The reproduction number stands at 1.1. As the coronavirus is gaining ground again in many parts of western Europe travelling is getting more and more complicated. Nevertheless, we decided to take a long weekend break in France. Although the situation is also worsening in France, where more regions are taking on an amber colour, we felt that a couple of corona proof days in rural Normandy should not be a problem. Our first stop was Honfleur. We’ve not visited Normandy’s most charming port town for decades and we recall the Vieux Bassin being overrun with tourists during the months of July and August. However, this time around there were no large crowds and it was not a problem at all to comply with the recommend 1,5 m social distancing – View Bassin, Normandy, France
29 October 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – In an almost presidential video message Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo addressed the population yesterday evening, stressing the importance of unity in the fight against the coronavirus. He announced that the new measures that were announced by the Flemish regional government on Tuesday will become effective immediately instead of on Friday as announced by the right-wing populist Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon who has been bending to economic pressures to keep our society open as long as possible. This statement came after Jambon received a lot of criticism for the fact that the rules would only take effect on Friday evening, and that several mayors of Flemish municipalities already announced that they did not want to wait to introduce the new rules. Are we finally going to see a unity in command in our country? Up to now this key principle of effective crisis management has been ignored in Belgium at the expense of a healthcare system that is about to collapse. Meanwhile, also in France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country will go back into lockdown as of Wednesday evening and Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany will go into a “light lockdown” as of Monday. Clearly, everybody with common sense starts realizing that the second wave of coronavirus infections in Europe is bigger and deadlier than the first one and that a tougher approach is necessary to ensure that our hospitals can continue to cope with the alarming situation. I have no image that can describe the severity of the situation we are confronted with, so I decided to continue to post pictures of my series “finding beauty in the ugly and mondain” … Visserij, Ghent, Belgium.
21 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen below the level of the peak during the first wave. Also, the number of deaths, patients hospitalised and new infections are further decreasing albeit at a slower pace. Just as we have passed the peak of the second wave in Belgium there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. The first vaccines to protect us from the virus will be available soon, probably at the start of next year. In light of this positive news virologists expressed their concern about what might happen if the current rules in place to curb the further spread of the virus are relaxed for the festive season or if large numbers of people flout the coronavirus rules over Xmas and the New Year. A study has found a significant number of us don’t plan to stick to the rules limiting social contacts during the forthcoming Xmas and New Year celebrations. Let’s hope that we’re not confronted with a third wave before things get better. So please, let’s continue our efforts, even if they hurt. On display today is one of the roads into Ghent early morning. This is a very different view from what we saw during the first lockdown earlier this year – Ghent, Belgium.
26 March 2021: On average during the last seven-day observation period, the week to 22 March, 4,331 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed each day. The figure is up 32% on the week. For the second day in a row the pace of increase in no longer rising. That said, 2,452 patients are currently in hospital of which 637 are in intensive care. The latter has doubled in just over a month. Whilst people are fighting for their lives in hospital and healthcare professionals have to work flat out to treat patients that have been infected by the virus, opposition parties are challenging the government’s decision to implement stricter rules to curb the spread of the virus. Using the pandemic for political gain is a slap in the face to all those who stick to the rules, it continues to undermine the credibility of politicians and it makes driving compliance to the rules more and more challenging. Talking about compliance… Yesterday, I went to have a look at the St Peter’s Square after the police clashed with partying students on the square earlier this week. Although police patrols were reinforced it was still very busy on the square. Let’s hope that this will not result in more infections and a prolonged lockdown period – Ghent, Belgium.
Lichtbild auf Silberhalogenid-Gelatine-Negativfilm
Fomapan 100 21° DIN;
Zeiss Flektogon 4/25 an Exakta Varex IIb (1965)
4 August 2021: The corona pandemic is not over yet, but there is silver lining. Between 25 and 31 July, an average of 1,562 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, an increase of 5% from the average of the previous week. The Delta variant accounts for over 90 percent of the new cases in Belgium now. The total number of corona patients in hospital went up to reach 368. Still the total number of patients on ICU wards remains below 100 and is relatively stable. Other good news is that half of the European Union’s population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19. That’s a total of 223.8 million people who have received two doses of vaccines like Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna or a single dose vaccine of the J&J vaccine. The EU has now overtaken the United States: as of 1 August, the Americans had fully vaccinated 49.7% of their population compared to 49.8% for the EU. The most vaccinated countries in the EU are Malta (74%), Belgium (59%) and Spain (58%). On display today is an early morning view of Port-en-Bessin.