The number of Covid-19 patients who end up in intensive care units has decreased slightly in Belgium, however, the number of new hospital admissions is increasing.
Between 1 and 7 October, on average, 57.4 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day, a 6% increase since the previous week, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Friday morning.
On Thursday, a total of 733 people were in hospitals due to an infection (four fewer than on Wednesday), including 195 patients being treated in intensive care (-13), with 114 on a ventilator (-6).
Between 28 September and 4 October, an average of 1,914 new coronavirus infections were identified every day, a 1% increase from the previous seven days.
The average number of tests taken has decreased slightly, as 44,414.1 tests were taken, 5% fewer than last week, however, the positivity rate has risen, and now sits at 4.7%, up by 0.2% since last week.
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During the same period, an average of 7.1 people died per day from the virus, an 18% decrease compared to last week. This brings the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Belgium to 25,665.
On Tuesday, the number of people dying as a result of the virus totalled 14, the highest since early June.
The virus reproduction rate has slightly decreased to 0.99 after sitting above 1 for more than a week. This figure represents the average number of people infected by each infected person, and when it is below 1, it means that the epidemic is slowing down in Belgium.
The incidence, which indicates the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, has fallen slightly and now sits at 231.6 over the past 14 days.
As of Wednesday, more than 8.6 million people in Belgium have received a first dose of the vaccine, representing 87% of the adult population, and 75% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 8.44 million people are fully vaccinated, accounting for 85% of the adult population in Belgium, and 73% of the total population.
Belgium has also started administering booster doses of coronavirus vaccines to people from certain vulnerable groups to keep the protection against the coronavirus sufficiently high. As of Tuesday, around 150,000 people had received such a dose.
The Brussels Times
