74 additional people have tested positive for the new coronavirus (Covid-19) in Belgium, according to figures by the Federal Public Health Service on Saturday.
This brings the total number of cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic to 60,550. 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 from the consequences of the virus.
The trend of new infections is still decreasing, by about 2% to 5% per day over the last 7 days.
Of the new infections, 56 were in Flanders, 11 in Wallonia and seven in Brussels.
11,541 coronavirus tests have been taken in Belgium in the past 24 hours, which brings the total number of tests taken to 1,098,910.
20 new patients were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours, and 42 were discharged. The total number of people in hospital because of the coronavirus at the moment is 308, 32 fewer than yesterday. This trend is decreasing as well, by about 1% to 3% per day.
Of the patients in hospital, 50 are in the intensive care unit. This trend also decreasing by about 5% per day.
Two new deaths have been reported, bringing the total number of people who died because of the coronavirus to 9,696. The trend in the number of newly-reported deaths also decreases by about 7% to 9% per day.
Both deaths recorded in the last 24 hours were in hospital.
Sciensano, the Belgian national health institute, will no longer publish coronavirus figures about the weekend, meaning there will be no updates on Sunday and Monday. The figures published today are from Friday at 11.00 until midnight, and so may be artificially depressed when regarded in comparison with previous days of fully 24 hours.
From now on, the figures for Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be published on Tuesday. Only then will the full picture of the weekend become clear.
"There will be an update on Saturday, with Friday's figures," a Sciensano spokesperson clarified for The Brussels Times. "The reports of Sunday and Monday, however, with the figures for the weekend, will not be published any more. The next report will then follow on Tuesday," she added.
This way, Sciensano wants to offer some peace of mind to employees who have to draw up the reports every weekend. This will also relieve the burden on hospitals that have to keep reports around the clock.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
