It’s made in Belgium — but that doesn’t mean Belgians will get the first EU-approved coronavirus vaccine ahead of others in the bloc.
Following the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, Belgium is gearing up to start vaccinations on Monday.
In a country where nine different ministers are responsible for health policy, POLITICO has all you need to know to navigate Belgium’s approach to vaccination.
What vaccines is Belgium buying?
The European Commission has negotiated advance purchase agreements with six vaccine producers, and Belgium has signed onto five of these: AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson & Johnson, BioNTech/Pfizer, CureVac and Moderna. According to the Belgian medicines agency and the spokesperson of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgium hasn’t signed up so far to purchase a sixth vaccine developed by Sanofi, which also has an initial contract with the Commission.
Belgium is aiming to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the end of 2021 — about 8 million people.
Who will get vaccinated first?
Residents and staff of care homes and health care professionals will be the first to be vaccinated. Vaccinations will start Monday in three care homes across Belgium (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in Brussels, Mons in Wallonia and Puurs in Flanders, where the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was produced).
Under the second phase of the plan, people over 65, patients between 45 and 65 years old at high risk from the virus due to obesity or lung disease, and people with essential jobs will get their shot. Finally, other at-risk patients and the rest of the adult population will be vaccinated.
The timing of the different phases will depend on how many doses are available at different times, and how difficult it is to store the vaccines.
How quickly will things go?
Pfizer promised a “symbolic shipment” of about 10,000 doses by the end of December. But that would be just the start of a months-long process: Everyone will certainly not be vaccinated before the summer, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Belgian TV.
Belgian officials say they’re ready to roll. Last week, authorities carried out a full-scale rehearsal of the rollout — from pickup from the Pfizer factory in the town of Puurs to injecting a placebo into a volunteer. Dirk Ramaekers, the head of the working group on the coronavirus vaccines, said it was successful.
According to the predictions of the Corona Commission advising the government, more than 1 million Belgians will be vaccinated by March. (These figures take account of the fact that some vaccines require two doses.) Between April and June 2021, the current estimate is a gradual increase to more than 3 million people.
To reach the ambitious 8 million target, an additional 5 million Belgians should get their jab between June 2021 and the winter. According to Yves Van Laethem, an infectious diseases specialist and spokesperson for Belgium’s COVID-19 crisis center, this will be possible in part due to doses becoming more widely available later in 2021.
These figures should be taken with a pinch of salt as much will depend on when the EMA approves other vaccines that are in the works. There are also other uncertainties — around how available each vaccine will be, and how exactly it will work.
Although the leading vaccines all seem to be effective in preventing the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus, it is still unclear whether they will curb the spread of the virus among the population. It’s also too soon at this stage to determine how long immunity will last.
How much is Belgium paying for vaccines?
Until last week, that was a secret, closely guarded by the European Commission. But then Belgian Budget State Secretary Eva De Bleeker’s Twitter account published a table with the price of each vaccine, as negotiated by the EU. The tweet reportedly came from her communications team after opposition MPs questioned whether Belgium had allocated sufficient money to buy vaccines. The tweet was soon deleted — but not before Twitter users had grabbed screenshots.
The price per dose is as follows:
— Oxford/AstraZeneca: €1.78
— Johnson & Johnson, $8.50
— BioNTech/Pfizer: €12
— CureVac: €10
— Moderna: $18
According to the tweet, Belgium has committed to buying 33 million doses for a total of €279 million.
Will vaccination be mandatory?
No. Vaccination is voluntary. It will also be free for every citizen.
According to Van Laethem, it would have been counterproductive to make the vaccine compulsory, as that would fuel opposition from anti-vaxxers.
Van Laethem said the fact that the vaccines are so new was also a factor in the government’s thinking, as this means some things about them are unknown — such as exact side effects or the amount of protection different people will get from a dose.
However, the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics, which is consulted on ethical questions by the federal government, said last week a debate on making the vaccine mandatory should be considered if collective immunity isn’t reached.
Are Belgians up for being vaccinated?
According to a study published on Wednesday by the public health body Sciensano, about 60 percent of Belgians will get their jab when it’s available, while 26 percent were hesitant, and 15 percent wouldn’t get vaccinated.
In Wallonia, 47 percent of the population intends to get vaccinated, compared with 55 percent in Brussels and 67 percent in Flanders. A fear of unknown side effects was cited most often as the reason for shunning vaccination.
Jillian Deutsch contributed reporting.
This article is part of POLITICO’s premium policy service: Pro Health Care. From drug pricing, EMA, vaccines, pharma and more, our specialized journalists keep you on top of the topics driving the health care policy agenda. Email [email protected] for a complimentary trial.