Burden of disease estimates have become important population health metrics over the past decade to measure losses in health. In Belgium, the disease burden caused by COVID-19 has not yet been estimated, although COVID-19 has emerged as one of the most important diseases. Therefore, the current study aims to estimate the direct COVID-19 burden in Belgium, observed despite policy interventions, during 2020 and 2021, and compare it to the burden from other causes. ; Funding This study received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme - project EpiPose (Grant Agreement Number 101003688). This work refects only the authors’ view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains Acknowledgements This study was conducted within the framework of the Belgian National Burden of Disease Study (BeBOD), coordinated by Sciensano, the Belgian institute for health.