Abstract
This study aimed to descript the Belgian COVID-19 responses process according to the WHO’s (World Health Organization) Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework (Health EDRM Framework) and to present the measures taken and epidemic impact in the different phases of COVID-19 in Belgium. The WHO’s EDRM Framework was used for reviewing the Belgian Public health emergency preparedness and responses in the context of COVID-19. Information on the measures taken was collected through the literature review including all government’s communication, reports, and scientific papers. All epidemic data were extracted from a national open database managed and published by the Sciensano. Additionally, two authors closely followed the Belgian situation since the beginning of the pandemic and updated the data every day. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-epidemic strategy was mainly to avoid medical resources exceeding the upper limit. Belgium issued a series of emergency decrees to limit the spread of the virus. An existing structure of “federal-region-municipal” as the framework of public health emergency preparedness and response was adapted. The emergency response process in Belgium was divided into four phases: information-evaluation-coordination-decision-making at the region level and the final decision-making at the federal level. Belgium also implemented a phased plan in the process of setting up and lifting the lockdown. However, it was vulnerable in early response, due to the shortage of medical equipment supplies in general, and more particularly for the long term care facilities (LTCFs). Belgium has achieved an intensive cooperation between stakeholders based on an existing multisectoral emergency organization framework. Legislation, medical insurance, and good communication also played a role in limiting the spread of viruses. However, the authorities underestimated the risk of an epidemic and did not take quarantine measures among people suspected affected by SARS-COV-2 in the early stages, resulting in insufficient medical equipment supply and a large number of deaths in the LTCF. The implementation of the lockdown measure in Belgium also encountered obstacles. The lockdown and its exit strategy were both closely related to the pandemic situation and social and economic life. The authorities should strengthen information management, improve the public awareness of the measures, and find out the balance points between the social and economic life and infection control measures.
Highlights
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries as of 30 March2020 and has been officially declared a global pandemic [1]
Information management: The Belgian epidemic data is open, transparent, and comprehensive, and the authorities established a variety of information in terms of early warning, the authorities underestimated the risk of an epidemic and did not take quarantine measures among people suspected affected by SARS-COV-2 in the early stages [46], which led to the pandemic spread across the country
According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Health EDRM Framework, our findings systematically presented an overview of the preparedness and responses process in Belgium from
Summary
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries as of 30 March2020 and has been officially declared a global pandemic [1]. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries as of 30 March. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the pandemic as at 29 July 2020, to be 16,523,815 confirmed cases globally and. The epidemic in Europe initially centered around Northern Italy where there was a steep rise in the number of cases and case fatalities from 20 February 2020 onwards [3]. As population density is ranked 4th in Europe [4], the virus was spread across Belgium and the health systems, the economy, and the society was impacted at large. The number of confirmed cases increased rapidly as with other western European countries. On 29 March, Belgium reported more than 10,000 confirmed cases [7]
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