The daily number of new Covid-19 cases has dropped below 6,000 in Belgium, while the number of new hospitalisations continues to decrease.
Between 16 and 22 April, an average of 5,894 new daily Covid-19 infections were identified, a 22% decrease on the seven days previous, according to the figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Tuesday.
It is worth noting that daily PCR tests also dropped by 20% to 20,390.3. The positivity rate now sits at 32.1%, meaning around one-third of all tests have a positive result.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant, Omicron BA.2, now accounts for 97.2% of all cases, up 14% from Friday last week.
During the same week, an average of 18.7 Covid-19 patients died on a daily basis, down by 20% from the previous week. The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic amounts to 31,382.
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 19 and 25 April, an average of 176 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals each day – down 16% on the seven days previous.
This number reflects how many people are hospitalised directly because of the virus, not those who are admitted with another condition and then test positive for Covid-19.
Credit: Belga
On Monday, a total of 2,742 people were in Belgian hospitals due to an infection, 48 more than on Sunday (hospitalisations usually increase from Sunday to Monday). Meanwhile, the number of people being treated in intensive care sits at 165 (+9).
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) is currently 0.89. 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 slowing down in Belgium.
The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) has dropped to 816 over the past 14 days.
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As of Saturday, almost 9.14 million people are fully vaccinated – 89% of Belgium's adult population and 79% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 7.12 million people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, representing 75% of over-18s and 62% of the entire population.
The frequency of Sciensano's update on the epidemiological situation has been adjusted. Although it will "continue to closely monitor the Covid-19 situation in the country," it will only publish an update twice a week – on Tuesday and Friday – rather than on a daily basis.
