If Belgium's coronavirus infections continue to drop at the current rate, the country will turn green on the map of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) before the start of the summer holidays.
Over the past week, an average of 450 new infections per day was detected, which is a 44% drop per week, meaning the number of confirmed cases halve every eight days, according to virologist and interfederal Covid-19 spokesperson Steven Van Gucht.
"At this rate, we will reach an incidence of fewer than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants by 28 June, which means that Belgium can colour green on the European map at the start of the summer holidays," he said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The decrease is recorded in all age categories, but is currently most pronounced among children and teenagers, and in all provinces.
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"In all provinces, the incidence is currently below 100 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, except in the Brussels-Capital Region, where we still find the highest number of infections, proportionally," Van Gucht said.
Since Friday 18 June, Belgium is no longer red on the ECDC's map and is now coloured orange, meaning its incidence rate dropped below 200.
According to the latest update by the Sciensano national health institute on Tuesday, Belgium currently has an incidence rate of 76 confirmed cases per 100,000 over the past two weeks.
While the figures are falling at a rapid pace and Belgium is moving in the right direction, Van Gucht stressed that it is important to always remain cautious.
"Countries such as Portugal and the United Kingdom show that the trend can still be reversed as long as many people are not fully vaccinated," he added.
As of Tuesday 22 June, 68,6% of the adult population has received its first vaccination (54,9% of the total population in Belgium), while 38,2% of adults have been fully vaccinated (30,6% of the total population).
