The average number of deaths per day due to the coronavirus has started rising slightly again, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Sunday.
Between 10 and 16 December, an average of 2,535.3 new people tested positive per day over the past week, which is a 15% increase compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 623,760. The total reflects all people in Belgium who have been infected, and includes confirmed active cases as well as patients who have since recovered, or died as a result of the virus.
Over the past two weeks, 289 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 1% increase compared to the two weeks before.
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Between 13 and 19 December, an average of 186.4 patients was admitted to hospital, up by just 4% from the week before.
In total, 2,527 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 89 fewer than yesterday. Of all patients, 539 are in intensive care, which is eight fewer than yesterday. A total of 315 patients are on a ventilator – 21 fewer than yesterday.
From 10 to 16 December, an average number of 94.7 deaths occurred per day, marking a 2.2% increase compared to the week before. Over the past few days, the number of deaths was still slowly decreasing, but has now also started going up.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 18,545.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of over 6.6 million tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 36,400 tests was taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 8%. That means that just under one in twelve people who get tested receive a positive result.
The percentage went down by 0.3% compared to last week, along with a 16% increase in testing.
The reproduction rate, finally, has risen to 1.01, which means that a person infected with coronavirus infects one other person on average, and that the pandemic is growing again.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
