Belgium’s numbers of Covid-19 patients in hospital are falling, and fatalities are down. But new cases are on the increase as the influence of new variants grows, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Sunday.
Between 21 and 27 January, an average of 2,245.3 new people tested positive per day, which is an 11% increase compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 707,837. 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, 259.6 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 12% increase compared to the two weeks before.
Between 24 and 30 January, an average of 118.7 patients were admitted to hospital, which is 10% fewer than the week before.
In total, 1,766 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 44 fewer than yesterday. Of all patients, 318 are in intensive care, which is two more than yesterday. A total of 170 patients are on a ventilator – four more than yesterday.
From 21 to 27 January, an average number of 49.0 deaths occurred per day, marking a 5.8% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 21,066.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 8,206,026 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 46,213.4 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 5.5%.
The percentage remained unchanged compared to last week, along with a 12% increase in testing.
A total of 270,740 people in Belgium have received the first dose of their vaccinations, or 2.94% of the population aged 18 and older. In addition, 12,844 people have received their second dose.
The reproduction rate, finally, stands at 0.92, which means that a person infected with coronavirus infects just under one person on average and the pandemic is not growing, but not significantly retreating at the same time.
The Brussels Times
