The average number of new Covid-19 cases being recorded every day has started to stabilise slightly although the number of hospitalisations is still rising.
Between 10 and 16 December, the average number of new Covid-19 infections recorded per day increased by 4% to 1,435, up by around 20 compared to last Friday, figures published by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health on Tuesday morning showed.
The average number of tests taken per day has risen to about 9,300 per day, while the positivity rate has dropped slightly to 16.7%, meaning one in six tests has a positive result.
In the same week, the average number of deaths from Covid-19 infections per day has increased rapidly to 10 (+56%), the highest figure recorded since August this year. However, this remains relatively low compared to this time last year, when this figure was nearing 50.
The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic is 33,211; however, this includes people who died of another cause but who were infected, meaning it is an overestimate of Covid-19 deaths.
Hospitalisations and vaccinations
In the last week, an average of 126.3 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to Belgian hospitals each day. This marks a 27% increase since last week, and more than double the number recorded just one month 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 rapidly to 1,948 – around 400 more than on Friday last week. The average number of patients being treated in intensive care in the last week has started to rise more rapidly, now sitting at 81, ten more than a few days ago.
This figure includes people who were admitted for another reason and later contracted the virus.
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The reproduction rate has dropped slightly to 1.13 after reaching 1.22 last week. 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 169.
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 more than 3.84 million people also received a second booster dose, equivalent to 41% of over-18s and 33% of the total population.
