The average number of new coronavirus infections decreased for the second day in a row, however, the number of Covid-19 deaths has seen a sudden rise for the first time since the start of the fifth wave.
Between 24 and 30 January, an average of 31.7 Covid-19 patients died per day, up by 25% since last week, according to the figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Thursday morning.
On Friday last week, 40 coronavirus deaths were recorded, the highest number since mid-December. Total deaths in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic amount to 29,132.
During the same week, an average of 45,446 new coronavirus infections were identified every day — a 9% decrease on the previous seven days, resulting in the curve of the fifth wave starting to drop. Just several days ago, increases of around 70% were being recorded.
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, the number of new cases has been dropping rapidly (on Saturday 29 January, 23,000 cases were reported).
The Omicron variant accounts for almost all cases in Belgium (99%).
The average number of PCR tests taken per day in the same period decreased slightly (-2%) to 110,581.6. The increase in the positivity rate also slowed down drastically for the first time in weeks, and now sits at 45.3%, meaning almost half of all tests undertaken are positive.
Situation in Belgian hospitals
Between 27 January and 2 February, an average of 367.7 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day — an increase of 9% on the seven days previous. Here, the curve seems to be stabilising.
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 Wednesday, a total of 4,212 people were in Belgian hospitals due to an infection, 56 more than on Tuesday, and the highest number since November 2020. 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 remained relatively stable for weeks, but is now starting to increase, as 432 people are being treated in intensive care (+13), while 175 (-2) 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 Tuesday, more than 8.87 million people are fully vaccinated — 90% of Belgium's adult population and 77% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 6.58 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 1.05. 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 5,809 over the past 14 days.
