28 December: Five years since Belgium’s first Covid-19 vaccination
On 28 December 2020, Belgium administered its first Covid-19 vaccine. Five years later, the date marks a turning point in a crisis that had already reshaped the country for months.
Belgium’s battle with Covid-19 began in early March 2020. On 10 March, the country recorded its first coronavirus death. Within days, infections were rising quickly and the government moved into emergency mode. At first, people were advised to keep their distance from one another and avoid large gatherings, but these measures soon proved insufficient.
By mid-March 2020, Belgium entered its first national lockdown. Schools, cafés, restaurants and cultural venues closed, borders were largely shut. Only essential travel was allowed. Daily life slowed to a standstill. Over the following months, restrictions were eased and tightened again as new waves of infection hit the country.
Confused communication
Decision-making became increasingly structured. Regular meetings of the Consultative Committee, bringing together federal and regional leaders, guided policy. Later, a corona barometer linked restrictions to hospital pressure, which offered more clarity to the public.
Communication, however, often caused confusion. Then prime minister Sophie Wilmès relied heavily on long and technical press conferences with complex slide presentations. Measures were sometimes announced late on Friday evenings and explained in dense detail. Many people were often left unsure about what was allowed and what was not. The lack of simple messaging weakened public understanding and trust, especially in the early stages of the crisis.
One of the most debated measures was the system of “contact bubbles”. Households were allowed to meet only a limited number of the same people. But the rules changed regularly and differed by age group and period.
Many people struggled to keep track of how large their bubble was meant to be, particularly during holidays such as Christmas. While the idea was to reduce social contacts without full isolation, its complexity made it difficult to enforce and follow.
Changing the course
The real change came with vaccination. On 28 December 2020, the first Pfizer vaccine was given to Jos Hermans, a 96-year-old care home resident from Puurs.
Care home residents and healthcare workers were prioritised at the start of the campaign. Slowly but surely, vaccination began to change the course of the pandemic. After early supply problems, the rollout sped up. Booster doses followed, hospital admissions fell, and society gradually reopened.
By spring 2022, most Covid safety measures were lifted. Masks remained only in healthcare settings, and travel restrictions were scrapped. Belgium recorded more than 30,000 Covid-related deaths. The heaviest toll took place during the first wave.
According to the OECD, Belgium’s response was broadly comparable to that of neighbouring countries. While the health system struggled at first, it adapted over time. Five years on, 28 December stands as the moment when Belgium finally gained a way out of the crisis.
#FlandersNewsService | 96-year-old Jos Hermans receives the first vaccine at a care home in Puurs-Sint-Amands, 28 December 2020 © BELGA PHOTO POOL DIRK WAEM
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