The average number of new daily coronavirus infections in Belgium continues to rise for the third day in a row, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Tuesday.
Between 5 and 11 December, an average of 2,273.9 new people tested positive per day over the past week, which is a 6% increase compared to the week before.
Since the average new daily infections started increasing again on Sunday, they have been doing so more rapidly every day. The seven-day average on Sunday was a 1% increase compared to the week before it, and Monday's figures showed a 3% increase.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 609,211. The total reflects all people in Belgium who have been infected, and includes confirmed active cases as well as patients who have since recovered, or died as a result of the virus.
Over the past two weeks, 269.5 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 23% drop compared to the two weeks before.
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Between 8 and 14 December, an average of 181.6 patients was admitted to hospital, down 6% from the week before.
In total, 2,888 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 56 more than yesterday. Of all patients, 614 are in intensive care, which is 3 fewer than yesterday. A total of 393 patients are on a ventilator – 3 fewer than yesterday.
From 5 to 11 December, an average number of 90 deaths occurred per day, marking a 16.9% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 18,054.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 6,351,409 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 32,213 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 8.1%. That means that around one in twelve people who get tested receive a positive result.
The percentage went down by 0.7% compared to last week, along with an 8% increase in testing.
The reproduction rate, finally, currently stands at 0.97. That rate (Rt) is the rate at which the virus spreads. If it rises above 1.0 again, it would mean that a person infected with coronavirus infects more than one other person on average and that the pandemic would be growing again.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
