Even though the number of new coronavirus infections in Belgium remains high, the country has possibly passed the infection peak of the second wave, health officials said during a press conference on Friday.
"Like in the past few days, we are seeing the figures evolve in the right direction," said virologist and interfederal Covid-19 spokesperson Steven Van Gucht. "It is possible that we are past the peak of the second wave."
The number of new infections is falling slightly, as is the number of hospital admissions. The number of patients in need of intensive care, however, continues to grow.
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If these trends continue, Tuesday 27 October was the peak of Belgium's second wave for the time being, according to Van Gucht. "Just over 22,000 infections were recorded in a single day."
"It is clear that the efforts are starting to work, but the way down is still a very long one," he said. "We still have to stick to the current regime for a long time to get into safe waters."
"The decline is visible in almost all parts of the country, only in the province of Namur, there is still a slight increase of 4%," Van Gucht said.
However, despite these decreases, the number of infections is still very high, according to him. "They are still among the highest in Europe, along with those in the Czech Republic."
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times