Belgium’s daily average new coronavirus infections have dropped below 1,600, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Monday.
Between 25 and 31 December, an average of 1,588.7 new people tested positive per day over the past week, which is a 27% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 650,011. 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, 229.5 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 22% decrease compared to the two weeks before.
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Between 28 December and 3 January, an average of 145.6 patients was admitted to hospital, which is 9% fewer than the week before.
In total, 2,186 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 61 more than yesterday. Of all patients, 467 are in intensive care, which is 13 fewer than yesterday. A total of 231 patients are on a ventilator – 5 more than yesterday.
From 25 to 31 December, an average number of 68.1 deaths occurred per day, marking a 21.3% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 19,701.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 6,993,426 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 25,349.1 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 7.2%. That means that around one in fourteen people who get tested receive a positive result.
The percentage went down by 0.2% compared to last week, along with a 30% decrease in testing.
The reproduction rate, finally, remains at 0.94, which means that a person infected with coronavirus infects fewer than one other person on average.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
