The number of Covid-19 patients in Belgian hospitals has dropped below 1,000 for the first time since 19 June, the latest figures from the Sciensano national health institute show.
The number of patients in intensive care has also decreased by 23%, as 68 patients are staying in intensive care units.
An average of 1,947 new infections were registered on a daily basis between 16 and 22 August, a slight increase of 14% compared to the previous period. The incidence is currently 221 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days.
However, as a public holiday took place in the previous period, fewer tests were carried out. Between 16 and 22 August, an average of 8,296 tests were taken daily, a slight increase of 5%.
A quarter of the tests came out positive, with a positivity ratio of 24,8%, a minor decrease of 0,6%.
The reproduction number has also decreased, by 5%, and currently stands at 0,86. As the number is lower than 1, it indicates that the pandemic is losing momentum.
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Almost all of the infections are of the variant BA.5, making up for 93.5% of the infections.
From 19 to 25 August, an average of 71 people were hospitalised each day, a 19% drop on a weekly basis. However, Sciensano reports that no more hospitalisations have been reported in the province of Luxembourg since mid-May, due to a cyber attack on the network of Vivalia, an inter-municipal healthcare institution.
Currently, a total of 965 people with a Covid infection are admitted to hospitals, 18% fewer than in the previous period. The last time those numbers were that low was in June.
Every day, eight people still die from the consequences of an infection, but that, too, is a 16% decrease compared to the previous period. In total, 32,496 people with a confirmed Covid-19 infection have died in Belgium since the start of the pandemic.
