Although the number of deaths as a result of the coronavirus remains low, the number of new cases and hospitalisations continues to increase in Belgium.
Between 16 and 22 July, there was an average of 26.6 new hospital admissions per day due to the coronavirus, a 25% increase compared to the previous reference period.
On Friday, a total of 273 (-14) people were in hospital as a result of the coronavirus, of whom 84 (+1) people were being treated in intensive care, and 53 people (+1) were on a ventilator.
Between 13 and 19 July, an average of 1,480 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, a 20% increase from the average of the previous week, according to the latest figures from Sciensano Health Institute published on Saturday 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 16% (a daily average of 73,513.7 tests were carried out), whilst the positivity rate remains at 2.2%, the highest it has been in months.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,113,465 cases of coronavirus infection have been diagnosed in Belgium.
During the same period, the average number of deaths due to the virus is falling, and now sits at a daily average of 1.0, bringing the total to 25,220 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Belgium.
In the last week, there were two days during which no one died as a result of the virus.
The incidence, which indicates the number of new cases per day per 100,000 inhabitants averaged over 14 days, is continuing to increase rapidly and has now risen by 148% since the last 14-day period, sitting at 165.3.
The reproduction rate of the coronavirus has dropped to 1.10 after rising 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 Friday, 82.8% of the adult population in Belgium had received the first injection of a coronavirus vaccine. This figure equates to just over 7.85 million people.
Of these, almost six million people (64.1% of the adult population of Belgium) have received a second dose and are now considered fully protected.
Sciensano has announced that there will no longer be an update of the daily figures on Sunday or Monday. Next update on Tuesday.
The Brussels Times
