A total of 1,985 people infected with Covid-19 are currently admitted to Belgian hospitals, while about all virus indicators continue to rise, figures published by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health on Friday morning showed.
Between 16 and 22 December, the average number of new Covid-19 infections recorded per day increased by 1% to 1,440 compared to Tuesday.
The average number of tests taken per day has risen to about 9,400 per day, while the positivity rate has risen slightly to 16.3%, meaning one in six tests has a positive result.
In the same week, the average number of deaths from Covid-19 infections per day has increased rapidly to 10.3 (+41%), the highest figure recorded since August this year.
The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic is 33,228; however, this includes people who died of another cause but who were infected, meaning it is an overestimate of Covid-19 deaths.
Hospitalisations and vaccinations
In the last week, an average of 130 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to Belgian hospitals each day. This marks a 19% increase since last week, and more than double the number recorded just one month ago. This figure only includes the number of people hospitalised because of the virus.
The total number of people infected with the virus in Belgian hospitals has risen rapidly to 1.985 – 25% more than on Tuesday. The average number of patients being treated in intensive care in the last week has started to rise more rapidly, now sitting at 96, 37% more than a few days ago.
This figure includes people who were admitted for another reason and later contracted the virus.
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The reproduction rate has dropped slightly to 1.09. When this figure is higher than 1, it means that the epidemic is growing. The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) has slightly increased to 173.
As of Saturday, more than 7.22 million people received a first booster dose of the vaccine, representing 76% of over-18s and 62% of the entire population, while more than 3.84 million people also received a second booster dose, equivalent to 41% of over-18s and 33% of the total population.
