Although the number of new coronavirus infections continues to increase in Belgium, the average number of people dying on average per day as a result of it has slumped to below one for the first time in months.
Between 11 and 17 July, an average of 1,345 new coronavirus infections were detected per day, a 33% increase from the average of the previous week, according to the latest figures from Sciensano Health Institute published on Wednesday morning.
Although there is still an increase in the number of people testing positive, this figure is going up slightly less quick than in the previous two weeks.
During the same period, the average number of daily deaths due to the virus dropped below 0.9, the lowest since September last year, bringing the total to 25,213 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Belgium.
The daily average of testing over the past week increased by 17% (a daily average of 70,927.7 tests were carried out), whilst the positivity rate has increased to 2.1%, the highest it has been in months, meaning a certain link can be made again between an increase in testing and cases.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,108,675 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 on Monday.
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Between 14 and 20 July, there was an average of 26.1 new hospital admissions per day due to the coronavirus, a 45% increase compared to the previous reference period.
On Tuesday, a total of 266 people were in hospital as a result of the coronavirus (1 fewer than on Monday) of whom 87 (+3) people were being treated in intensive care, and 48 people (the same as the previous day) were on a ventilator.
The incidence, which indicates the average number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, is continuing to increase rapidly and has now risen by 163% since the last 14-day period, sitting at 143.4.
The reproduction rate of the coronavirus has skyrocketed to 1.24 after slumping to 1 again 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 Monday, 82.5% of the adult population in Belgium had received the first injection of a coronavirus vaccine. This figure equates to just over 7.78 million people.
Of these, almost 5.6 million people (60.8% of the adult population in Belgium) have received a second dose and are now considered fully protected.
The Brussels Times
