After dropping to the lowest levels seen in more than a year, the number of daily Covid-19 infections recorded in Belgium has once again surged, nearing 1,000.
Between 19 and 25 November, the average number of new Covid-19 infections recorded per day increased by 25% to 934, figures published by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health on Tuesday showed. Ten days ago, this figure sat at 616.
The average number of tests taken per day has also risen to about 6,600 per day, while the positivity rate is slightly higher, having increased to 15.2%, meaning more than one in seven tests has a positive result.
Omicron BA.5, which is said to be no more infectious than the other Omicron subvariants but can circumvent accumulated immunity, remains the dominant strain, but accounts for around 79% of all infections, down from 92% on Friday last week, with Omicron BA.2 and BA.4 accounting for around 14% altogether.
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Materlinck
The reproduction rate has increased to 1.18. When this figure is higher than 1, it means that the epidemic is growing. The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) has slightly increased to 102 from 85 last week.
In the same week, an average of 3.6 deaths from Covid-19 infections was recorded (-34%) per day. The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic is 33,057; however, this includes people who died of another cause but who were infected, meaning it is an overestimate of Covid-19 deaths.
Hospitals and vaccinations
An average of 63 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals each day, up by 40% since last week, and around 20 more per day than ten days ago. This figure only includes the number of people hospitalised because of the virus.
The total number of people infected with the virus in Belgian hospitals has risen to 872, almost 110 more than last week. The number of patients being treated in intensive care has remained stable at 45. This figure includes people who were admitted for another reason and later contracted the virus.
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As of Saturday, more than 7.22 million people received a first booster dose of the vaccine, representing 76% of over-18s and 62% of the entire population, while almost 3.8 million people also received a second booster dose, equivalent to 41% of over-18s and 33% of the total population.
Adults across all regions in Belgium can now get their additional booster shots (without invitation in Wallonia and Brussels). Find out why getting this latest jab is important.
