The rise in Belgium’s average coronavirus hospital admission has slowed dramatically, even while average daily infections have increased, according to the latest official figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Saturday.
Between 3 and 9 March, an average of 2,522 new people tested positive per day, which is a 7% increase compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 801,723. 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, 296.8 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 14% increase compared to the two weeks before.
Between 6 and 12 March, an average of 148.7 patients were admitted to hospital per day, a figure unchanged compared to the week before.
In total, 1,916 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or six more than yesterday. Of all patients, 468 are in intensive care, which is 22 more than yesterday. A total of 250 patients are on a ventilator – unchanged since yesterday.
From 3 to 9 March, an average number of 25.3 deaths occurred per day, marking a 3.8% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 22,397.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 10,007,603 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 44,682.7 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 6.3%.
The percentage went down by 0.1% compared to last week, while testing increased by 7%.
A total of 721,826 people in Belgium have been partially vaccinated against coronavirus, or 7.8% of the population aged 18 and older. In addition, 365,808 people – or 4% of the entire population – have been fully vaccinated.
The reproduction rate, meanwhile, now stands at exactly 1, meaning that one person with coronavirus infects one other person on average and that the pandemic is now neither growing nor shrinking in Belgium.
The Brussels Times
