After increasing for several weeks, the number of new Covid-19 infections has started to decrease again and has now dropped below 10,000 confirmed cases per day.
Between 29 March and 4 April, an average of 9,658 new coronavirus infections were identified every day, a 14% decrease from the previous seven days, according to the figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Friday morning.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant, Omicron BA.2 variant, is accounting for 92.7% of all cases, while the Delta variant has been eradicated.
The average number of PCR tests taken per day in the same period inclined by 2% to 37,900. The positivity rate now sits at 28,1%, meaning slightly fewer than three out of ten tests have a positive result.
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During the same week, an average of 23.7 Covid-19 patients died on a daily basis, an increase of 3%. The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic amounts to 30,997.
This figure also includes people who died of another cause of death, but who happened to be infected, meaning they are an overestimate of the deaths caused by the virus.
Situation in hospitals
Between 1 and 7 April, an average of 215 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals each day – a slight decrease of 2% on the seven days previous.
This number reflects how many people end up in hospital specifically because of the virus, not those who are admitted with another condition and then test positive for the coronavirus.
On Thursday, a total of 3,073 people were in Belgian hospitals due to an infection, two more than on Monday. Meanwhile, the number of people being treated in intensive care is still slightly rising and now sits at 176.
This number covers all patients who tested positive for Covid-19, including those who were first admitted with a different condition.
Reproduction rate, incidence, and total vaccinations
The reproduction rate (Rt) has decreased and now sits at 0.99. This figure represents the average number of people that contract the virus from each infected person. When it is below 1, it means that the epidemic is losing ground in Belgium.
The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) has dropped to x over the past 14 days.
As of Thursday, more than 9.13 million people are fully vaccinated – 89% of Belgium’s adult population and 79% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 7.11 million people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, representing 75% of over-18s and 62% of the entire population.
As of last week, the frequency of Sciensano’s update on the epidemiological situation has been adjusted. Although it will “continue to closely monitor the Covid situation in the country,” it will only publish an update twice a week – on Tuesday and Friday – rather than on a daily basis.
