The decrease in the number of new coronavirus cases in Belgium is continuing at a rapid speed, but there is still a slight rise in the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths.
Between 25 and 31 January, an average of 41,757 new coronavirus infections were identified every day — a 20% decrease on the previous seven days, according to the figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Friday morning.
The day record since the start of the pandemic was officially reported last Monday (24 January), when more than 73,000 infections were recorded, but since then, an overall declining trend has been recorded.
The average number of PCR tests taken per day in the same period decreased (-9%) to 107,271.3. The increase in the positivity rate also slowed down and now sits at 44.8%, meaning almost 45 out of 100 tests that are taken have a positive result.
During the same week, an average of 33.1 Covid-19 patients died per day, up by 35% since last week. Total deaths in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic amount to 29,185.
Situation in Belgian hospitals
Between 28 January and 3 February, an average of 364.7 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day — an increase of 5% on the seven days previous. Here, the curve seems to be close to peaking.
This number reflects how many people end up in hospital specifically because of the virus, not people who end up in hospital with another condition and then test positive for the coronavirus.
On Thursday, a total of 4,239 people were in Belgian hospitals due to an infection, 27 more than on Wednesday, and the highest number since November 2020. However, at the end of last week and the start of this week, this figure was rising by more than 100 people a day.
This number does cover all patients who tested positive for Covid-19, including those who were first admitted with a different condition.
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The number of patients in a life-threatening condition started to increase slightly earlier this week but seems to be stabilising. Currently, 431 people are being treated in intensive care (-1), while 174 (-1) patients are on a ventilator.
A UK analysis found that the risk of hospitalisation is lower for Omicron cases after both two and three doses of vaccine, with a 77% to 85% reduction in the risk of hospitalisation after three doses compared to unvaccinated people who are infected with the Omicron variant.
As of Wednesday, more than 8.88 million people are fully vaccinated — 90% of Belgium's adult population and 77% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 6.61 million people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, representing 71% of over-18s and 57% of the entire population. The majority of adults should have had the opportunity to get a booster dose by March 2022.
The reproduction rate (Rt) has once again decreased to 1.03. This figure represents the average number of people that contract the virus from each infected person, and when it is above 1, it means that the epidemic is gaining ground in Belgium.
The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) dropped for the first time in weeks and now sits at 5,701 over the past 14 days.
