This page allows you to find in a few clicks all of KCE's work related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, from the beginning of this pandemic, KCE was called upon to provide political decision-makers, in a rapid manner, with scientifically grounded elements to support their reflections and strategic decisions in managing the health crisis. KCE's responses to these specific questions generally took the form of specific ad hoc opinions.
Besides, KCE also contributed to the management of the pandemic by :
- publishing classic reports analysing aspects of health care directly or indirectly related to the pandemic
- funding clinical trials through the KCE Trials programme
- participating in working groups at national and European level.
Between December 2021 and December 2024, KCE was also entrusted with the coordination of the "Task Force Therapeutics’ (TF-Tx)". The role of this Task Force was to analyse scientific data in order to provide the authorities with the advice they needed to make decisions on the purchase of drugs (against COVID-19, but also against other diseases such as monkeypox, influenza, etc.). The Task Force was also involved in drawing up guidelines for the use of these drugs.
Below, you will find the Task Force's advice on treatments for COVID-19. The Task Force’s publications regarding treatments for other diseases are available through a dedicated page.
Specific advices
- Impact of COVID-19 on General Practices: Rapid Review (NL, FR, Supplement)
- An explorative survey to inform staffing policy in nursing homes: a study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Clinical utility of multiplex assays for the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic
- Vaccination coverage of staff in Belgian hospitals and nursing homes against COVID-19
- Rapid review of the evidence on a COVID-19 booster dose after a primary vaccination schedule
- Risk-benefit model for TTS events applied to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- Outpatient care for Covid-19 patients in the context of saturation in Belgian hospitals
- Management of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) for general practitioners
- International comparison of testing and contact tracing strategies
- Transmission of the coronavirus by children
- Tromboprophylaxis
- Medical interventions that spread aerosols
Classic KCE reports related to the COVID-19 pandemic
- KCE Reports 355 : Use and organisation of ECMO in Belgium
- KCE Report 354 : Remote monitoring of patients with COVID-19
- KCE Report 353 : Nurse staffing on Belgian intensive care units: the impact of two years of COVID-19 pandemic
- KCE Report 344 : Long COVID: Pathophysiology – epidemiology and patient needs
- KCE Report 335 : Hospital & Transport Surge Capacity
- KCE Report 328 : Video consultations in the care for patients with a chronic somatic disease
Clinical Trials
- COV-AID (combinations of drugs blocking interleukin 1 and 6)
- DAWN-plasma (administration of plasma from patients cured of COVID-19 to hospitalized patients)
- DAWN Antivirals (efficacy of Camostat for COVID-19 patients presenting to ambulatory care)
- CONFIDENT (administration of plasma from patients cured of COVID-19 to intensive care patients)
- DisCoVeRy (participation in the international study coordinated by INSERM - France)
- IMCOVAS (assessment of different vaccines schedules for 3 vaccines against COVID-19 (Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca))
- UNLOCK (Nutrition and Locomotoric rehabilitation in Long COVID)
- PuRe-COVID (Pulmonary rehabilitation for Long COVID)
- CovCOG (Immediate and long term cognitive and quality of life improvement after cognitive versus emotion management psychoeducation programs in long COVID patients with neuropsychological difficulties)
Task Force Therapeutics advices
- Interim clinical guidance for adults with confirmed COVID-19 in Belgium (07/2024)
- Effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir on severe outcomes of covid-19 in the era of vaccination and omicron: an updated meta-analysis (Paxlovid - 08/01/2024)
- Current evidence about effectiveness of Bebtelovimab for the treatment of COVID-19 (Bebtelovimab - 12/2022)
- Advice regarding the purchase of tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) for the treatment of Covid-19 in Belgium (Evusheld - 11/2022)
- Current evidence about effectiveness of Evusheld for COVID-19 prophylaxis (Evusheld - 11/2022)
- Addition to the advice regarding the purchase of remdesivir (Veklury) for the Treatment of covid-19 patients in Belgium (Veklury - 06/2022)
- Addition to the advice regarding the purchase of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) (Paxlovid - 06/2022)
- Advice regarding the purchase of tixagevimab/cilgavimab (Evusheld) for the prevention of COVID-19 in Belgium (Evusheld - 02/2022)
- Advice regarding the purchase of sotrovimab (Xevudy) (Xevudy - 02/2022)
- Advice regarding the purchase of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid - 12/2021)
- Advice regarding the purchase of remdesivir (Veklury) for the Treatment of covid-19 patients in Belgium (Verklury - 12/2021)
- Avis sur l'achat du molnupiravir (Lagevrio) via un accord bilatéral (Lagevrio - 12/2021)
Participation in working groups at national level
- Participation in the Risk Assessment Group (RAG)
- Participation in an ad hoc working group on a vaccination strategy against Covid-19
- Participation in the Covid-19 Vaccination strategy taskforce
- Participation in "Guidance regarding home-based medication management for non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection”
International collaboration
- European Observatory on Health systems and Policies: Policy responses to the crisis
- EUnetHTA COVID-19 response - Rolling Collaborative Reviews on COVID-19 (camostat & nafamostat)
- EUnetHTA Rapid Collaborative Review (diagnostic methods)
- Participation in the Scientific Advisory Board EU-RESPONSE
