The number of coronavirus infections, as well as the number of hospitalisations and deaths as a result of the virus, are continuing to decline in Belgium.
Between 18 and 24 December, an average of 6,471 new coronavirus infections were identified every day, down by 25% from the previous seven days, according to figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Tuesday morning.
The number of tests taken in the same period also decreased, by 8% since last week, to 69,343. Meanwhile, the positivity rate has also dropped, now sitting at 10.8%.
Between 21 and 27 December, an average of 135.7 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day, a 29% decrease since the last seven days.
On Monday, a total of 1,959 people were in hospitals due to an infection (14 more than on Sunday), including 613 Covid-19 patients that were being treated in intensive care (-16), with 367 on a ventilator (-3). Most of the people being hospitalised due to an infection are older with underlying health conditions.
During the same period, the number of people dying as a result of the virus also declined, by 8%, with an average of 35.7 Covid-19 patients dying per day. This brings the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Belgium to 28,218.
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The reproduction rate (Rt) has slightly increased to 0.81. This figure represents the average number of people that contract the virus from each infected person, and when it is lower than 1, it means that the epidemic is slowing down in Belgium.
The incidence, which indicates the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants sits at 918 over the past 14 days.
As of Sunday, more than 8.79 million people are fully vaccinated, accounting for 88% of the adult population in Belgium, and 76% of the total population.
Meanwhile, almost 4.04 million people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, representing 44% of over -18s and 35% of the entire population. The majority of adults should have had the opportunity to get a booster dose by March 2022.
