The number of Covid-19 cases has steadily risen since the beginning of June, according to Belgium’s public health institute Sciensano’s latest weekly report.
A total of 608 new Covid-19 infections were diagnosed between June 9-15, portraying an over 50% surge compared to the first week of June. Mid-June’s weekly figures last year hovered around 300, before escalating in July and peaking at over 2,700 weekly new cases by August’s end.
The positivity rate – the ratio of tests conducted and positive results – escalated to 12.5% in the recently observed period, up from 9.6% during June’s first week. This is the highest registered rate since last January, confirming a Covid-19 resurgence, a similar increase was noted last summer.
The virus’s reproduction rate – the number of individuals infected by Covid-19 from a single positive case – stands at 1.309. To halt the virus from proliferating, this rate must be under 1.
Since December 2023, the JN.1 variant has been reported as the majority in Belgium, as per Sciensano’s molecular surveillance. Data regarding the presence of a new variant in recent weeks hasn’t been analysed yet.
In several European countries and the US, the new sub-variants KP2 and KP3, stemming from JN.1 and the "FLiRT" family, are seen as the main culprits driving the increase in positive Covid-19 cases.
