40.8 Overall Score (down 6.6 since Aug 1st.)

Belgium

  • 1.5 Public Health
    Directives
  • 27.9 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication
  • 1.5 Public Health
    Directives
  • 27.9 Financial
    Response
  • 100 Fact-Based
    Communication

Belgium has a relative strong score, with its generous income support and strong testing and contact tracing countered by limited public health directives.

Pre-COVID Conditions

Belgium had relatively strong pre-pandemic capacity, boasting accessible, quality healthcare, a healthy population, relatively low levels of inequality, and one of the highest rates of hospital beds per 100,000 people in the Index.

  • Debt/GDP ratio 102%
  • GDP/capita $50,905
  • Gini coefficient (out of 100) 27.4
  • Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 3
  • Healthcare access score (out of 100) 87.9
  • Hospital beds/1,000 People 44.5

Government Response

Select a data point for more information
(Data points represent policy level as of Sep 1.)
1.5

Public Health Directives

Belgium scores near the bottom on public health, with open testing and strong contact tracing countered by relatively weak policy on lockdowns, school closings, and emergency healthcare spending; most notably, Belgium's extremely high case rate pushes its scores down substantially, as most of its policies appear to be implemented well into its crisis, although Belgium is far more liberal in classifying COVID-19 cases than any other country, and may appear to have a much higher relative incidence of the virus than it really does.

  • Stay at home order 0
  • Public gathering restrictions 4
  • School closings 1
  • Public event cancellations 2
  • Testing policy 2
  • Emergency healthcare investments/capita $141.51
  • Travel restrictions 3
  • Tests/1,000 people 196.6
  • Contact tracing 2
27.9

Financial Response

Belgium’s low financial score is due to a relatively low stimulus as a share of GDP, and poor debt-relief opportunities.

  • Financial stimulus as share of GDP 7.7%
  • Income support 2
  • Debt forebearance 1
100

Fact-Based Communication

Belgium’s government has communicated regularly with the public, avoiding misinformation or exaggeration, and publishing excess death numbers as well as more basic statistics.

  • Reliance on science/fact based information 0
  • Press freedom 0

COVID-19 Status as of Sep 1

Belgium has the highest death rate in the Index, which health authorities attribute to COVID’s spread in care homes and a high case rate, though they seem to be capturing most cases through testing.

  • Total deaths 9,894
  • Death rate per 100K 853.7
  • Total cases 85,142
  • Cases per 100K 7,417
  • Percent of positive tests 2.1
  • Change in positivity rates -0.5
Case Trend Line
Daily cases Level 1 Lockdown Level 2 Lockdown
Date Status New Cases/1M
1 May 04 Some businesses reopen 38.15
2 May 18 Shops and schools reopen 25.53
3 Jun 08 Religious institutions reopen 10.44
4 Jul 01 Malls and pools reopen 7.16
5 Aug 24 People allowed to shop in pairs with no time limits 42.58

Differentiating Factors

  • Belgium's COVID-19 Cases Surging: Continuing to be an epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, Belgium's cases are spreading "intensively," with weekly deaths up 30 percent in August. Read More
  • New corporate tax incentives amid spike in cases: In August, the Belgian parliament passed corporate tax measures to bolster the liquidity of taxpayers and preserve solvency as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. Read More
  • Hotspots in nursing homes: More than half of Belgium's coronavirus fatalities have occurred in nursing homes, partly because elderly people in Belgium are more likely than their peers in the rest of Europe to live in elder-care housing. Read More
  • Stockpiling for second wave: In early July, Belgium's Minister of Health announced that the country had prepared itself for a second wave, having stockpiled PPE, medicine, tests and equipment such as ventilators. Read More
  • Businesses hard hit despite support: Despite generous financial stimuli in response to the pandemic, financial analysts are predicting that as many as 50,000 Belgian businesses may file for bankruptcy in the coming months. Read More
Compared with Neighboring Countries
  • 68.7
    Germany 243,599
    Cases     2,908
    Per 1M     9,302
    Deaths

    Germany has improved its score a bit in the past few months, after a sharp decline in the fall. Its improvements in contact tracing, which are already likely underestimated in the data, and restrictions on public gatherings, have played important roles in this turnaround, although there has been a recent spike in cases, likely due to both recent restriction relaxations and vaccine rollout issues.

  • 59.5
    Norway 10,644
    Cases     1,963
    Per 1M     264
    Deaths

    Norway scores just below the median, pulled down by its weak public health and financial response scores, despite a strong reliance on facts and a free press.

  • 53.9
    Sweden 84,379
    Cases     8,356
    Per 1M     5,831
    Deaths

    Despite being known for a relatively strong public healthcare system, Sweden has been hit hard with cases; the country’s lack of stay-at-home orders and school closures, limited testing, and few gathering restrictions overshadowed its financial support, reliance on facts, and accountability with an open press.

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New Zealand

Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:

Pre-COVID Conditions:

  • Debt to GDP ratio
  • Infant mortality rates
  • Hospital beds per 1,000 people
  • Gini coefficients measuring inequality
  • Health access and quality

COVID-19 Public Health Directives:

  • Stay-at home orders
  • School-closing policy
  • Public-gathering restrictions
  • Cancellation of public events
  • Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
  • Emergency healthcare spending per capita
  • Travel restrictions
  • Contact tracing

COVID-19 Financial Response:

  • Stimulus package as a share of GDP
  • Income support
  • Debt-forbearance

Public Communications:

  • Instances of misinformation by leadership
  • Limitations on press freedom, censorship

Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:

  • Death rates per 1 million
  • Case rates per 1 million