The number of new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 population went up by 47% in the past week, according to the latest official figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Sunday.
Between 25 and 31 March, an average of 4,577 new people tested positive per day, which is a 1% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 897,474. 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, 561.6 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 47% increase compared to the two weeks before.
Between 28 March and 3 April, an average of 268.7 patients were admitted to hospital a day, an increase of 13% compared to the week before.
In total, 2,913 coronavirus patients were in hospital on Friday, 112 fewer than the day before. Of all patients, 822 were in intensive care, 21 more than on Thursday, while 479 patients were on a ventilator, 43 more than the previous day.
From 25 to 31 March, an average number of 28.6 deaths occurred per day, marking a 5.8% increase compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 23,130.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 11,372,138 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 66,517 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 7.8%.
The percentage increased by 0.1% compared to last week's seven-day average while testing increased by 4%.
As of yesterday, a total of 1,404,877 people in Belgium have received at least one dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, up by about 671,000 from the day before, or 16% of the population aged 18 and older.
In addition, 563,675 people – or 6.1% of the adult population – have been fully vaccinated, bringing the total numbers of doses administered to almost two million.
The reproduction rate, meanwhile, now stands at 1,09, down from 1.14 yesterday, meaning that one person with coronavirus infects more than one other person on average and that the epidemic is still growing in Belgium.
The Brussels Times
