COVID-19 Surge in Brussels Linked to Low Vaccination Rates Among Arab-Muslim Community

The Brussels-Capital Region is the only region in the country where the Covid-19 vaccination campaign is stagnating. A situation that is explained, among other things, by the reluctance of the Arab-Muslim population to get vaccinated. Brusselers aged 18 to 45 are the most reluctant to vaccination. Yet, half of them have not been vaccinated. As a result, "the epidemiological situation in the Brussels-Capital Region is deteriorating and is the subject of increased surveillance," says a report from the authorities. All indicators are on the rise.

Belgium fears that the capital will become an activator of the spread of the virus and its variants. Last week, 9.6% of Belgian-Moroccans returning from Morocco tested positive, which represents a higher infection rate for returns from abroad, reports Le Soir. "[...] Brussels is pulling all the averages up. And this trend is also observed among the young. In the 0-19 age group, there are 449 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days. An incidence more than twice as high as in Wallonia," notes the same source.