Although the number of deaths as a result of the coronavirus remains low, the number of new hospitalisations continues to increase in Belgium.
Between 15 and 21 July, there was an average of 26.6 new hospital admissions per day due to the coronavirus, a 31% increase compared to the previous reference period.
On Thursday, a total of 287 (+22) people were in hospital as a result of the coronavirus, of whom 83 (-1) people were being treated in intensive care, and 52 people (+4) were on a ventilator.
Between 12 and 18 July, an average of 1,407 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, a 19% increase from the average of the previous week, according to the latest figures from Sciensano Health Institute published on Friday morning.
Although there is still an increase in the number of people testing positive, this figure is going up slightly less quickly than in the previous two weeks.
The daily average of testing over the past week increased by 18% (a daily average of 72,692.7 tests were carried out), whilst the positivity rate remains at 2.1%, the highest it has been in months.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,112,161 cases of coronavirus infection have been diagnosed in Belgium.
To slow down the spread of the epidemic in Belgium, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced tougher measures for travellers returning from red zones and an expansion of the Coronavirus pass to smaller events.
During the same period, the average number of deaths due to the virus is falling, and now sits at a daily average of 0.9, bringing the total to 25,217 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Belgium.
Last week, there were three days during which no one died as a result of the virus.
The incidence, which indicates the average number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants during the last 14 days, is continuing to increase rapidly and has now risen by 158% since the last 14-day period, sitting at 157.4.
The reproduction rate of the coronavirus has dropped to 1.13 after slumping to 1.29 last week. This figure is the average number of people infected by an infected person. When the figure is higher than 1, it means the pandemic is gathering pace in Belgium.
As of Thursday, 82.7% of the adult population in Belgium had received the first injection of a coronavirus vaccine. This figure equates to just over 7.8 million people.
Of these, almost six million people (62.7% of the adult population in Belgium) have received a second dose and are now considered fully protected.
The Brussels Times
