An average of 3,596 new daily Covid-19 infections were identified between 26 July and 1 August, down 12% from the previous seven days, according to figures published by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health on Friday.
The average number of tests taken per day decreased slightly from last week, at around 13,200, while the positivity rate was 29.9%. Meanwhile, the number of infections among the working population has halved in the last two weeks compared to the previous period, when the figure doubled.
Omicron BA.5 remains the dominant strain, accounting for 93.9% of all infections. The strain is said to be no more or less infectious than the other Omicron subvariants but is effective at circumventing people’s accumulated immunity.
The number of deaths as a result of the virus also decreased, with 11 Covid-19 patients dying each day over the past seven days (-13% from the previous week). The total number of deaths in Belgium since the start of the pandemic is 32,296.
This includes people who died of another cause but who happened to be infected, meaning that it is an overestimate of deaths attributed to Covid-19.
Situation in Belgian hospitals
In the last seven days, an average of 119 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals each day – a 21% decrease from the previous seven days.
This indicates the number of people hospitalised because of the virus, not those admitted with another condition who test positive for Covid-19.
On Thursday, a total of 1,760 people were in Belgian hospitals due to an infection, 240 fewer than on Tuesday, while the number of people being treated in intensive care sits at 119 (-5). This number includes patients admitted with a different condition who later tested positive.
Reproduction rate, incidence, and total vaccinations
The reproduction rate ( the average number of people that contract the virus from each infected person) sits at 0.87. When it is below 1, it means that the epidemic is slowing down in Belgium. The incidence (the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants) was 464 over the past 14 days.
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As of Saturday, almost 9.1 million people are fully vaccinated – 89% of Belgium's adult population and 79% of the total population. This figure was higher, but since the end of June, this figure takes into account vaccinated people who died.
Meanwhile, more than 7.18 million people have received a booster dose of the vaccine, representing 76% of over-18s and 62% of the entire population. From September onwards, an additional booster will be available to a larger group of the population. Find out if you are eligible here
