Belgium Report

Belgium, even more than the rest of Europe, was hit very severely by the COVID-19 epidemic. The exact reasons for Europe’s poor performance will be debated for years to come, but available evidence already allows strong conjectures to be drawn. A first plausible factor is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus had a higher lethality potential, which acerbates underlying issues: Europe’s population is old and congregates in densely populated cities, Europeans travel extensively and commute by public transport, and many European countries have a culture of close social interactions.