The number of Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care in Belgium has surpassed 800, while the rise in infections continues to slow down.
Between 26 November and 2 December, an average of 317.9 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day, a 4% increase since the last seven days, according to figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Friday morning.
On Thursday, a total of 3,707 people were in hospitals due to an infection (29 fewer than on Wednesday), including 821 patients being treated in intensive care (+29), with 411 on a ventilator (+9).
If the current slowdown in new coronavirus infections continues, it will be possible to ensure the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care will remain below 1,000, according to virologist Steven Van Gucht.
Between 23 and 29 November, an average of 17,862 new coronavirus infections were identified every day, a 6% increase from the previous seven days, but a clear slowing down compared to previous weeks.
The number of tests taken increased by 8% to 119,505.3 since last week. The positivity rate has risen by 0.3% since last week, now sitting at 16.2%.
During the same period, an average of 44 people died per day from the virus, up by 23% from last week. This brings the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Belgium to 27,120.
Despite the slackening rise in infections, Belgium's Consultative Committee will be meeting on Friday morning for the third time in three weeks to discuss new measures as the burden on the hospitals remains very high.
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The virus reproduction rate has further decreased to 1.03, the lowest it has been in almost two months. This figure represents the average number of people infected by each infected person, and when it is above 1, it means that the epidemic is gaining ground in Belgium.
The incidence, which indicates the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, has increased by 63% and now sits at 2,106.3 over the past 14 days.
As of Wednesday, more than 8.84 million people in Belgium have received a first dose of the vaccine, representing 89% of the adult population, and 77% of the total population.
Meanwhile, almost 6.7 million people are fully vaccinated, accounting for 87% of the adult population in Belgium, and 76% of the total population.
Almost 1.73 million people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, including people from certain vulnerable groups and healthcare workers, to keep the protection against the coronavirus sufficiently high. The majority of adults should have had the opportunity to get a booster dose by March 2022.
