The number of Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care in Belgium is increasing after rising above the alert threshold of 500, while the number of new infections has surpassed 10,000 every day.
Between 7 and 13 November, an average of 10,283 new coronavirus infections were identified every day, a 27% increase from the previous seven days, according to figures published by the Sciensano Public Health Institute on Wednesday morning.
Aside from the number of infections seen during the second wave in October last year, this is the highest number of cases recorded since the start of the pandemic.
The number of tests being taken increased by 8% (80,811.6), while the positivity rate has risen by 1.9% since last week, now sitting at 13.6%.
During the same period, an average of 25.6 people died per day from the virus, up by 11% from last week. This brings the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Belgium to 26,444.
In light of the worsening situation, the next meeting of Belgium’s Consultative Committee, scheduled for Friday, has been brought forward to today (Wednesday).
Between 10 and 16 November, an average of 238.4 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals per day, a 21% increase since the previous week.
On Tuesday, a total of 2,693 people were in hospitals due to an infection (45 more than on Monday), including 557 patients being treated in intensive care (+24), with 292 on a ventilator (+18).
To cope with the influx of people being hospitalised as a result of the virus, hospitals have been asked to reserve 50% of beds in their intensive care units for Covid-19 patients by Friday.
Related News
- Belgian virologist developing 'vaccine 2.0' effective against all Covid strains
- Belgium needs 'broad measures' to keep all sectors open, says De Croo
The virus reproduction rate has slightly decreased since last week to 1.14. This figure represents the average number of people infected by each infected person, and when it is above 1, it means that the epidemic is gaining ground in Belgium.
The incidence, which indicates the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, has increased by 38% and now sits at 1,116.7 over the past 14 days.
As of Monday, more than 8.77 million people in Belgium have received a first dose of the vaccine, representing 88% of the adult population, and 76% of the total population.
Meanwhile, more than 8.62 million people are fully vaccinated, accounting for 87% of the adult population in Belgium, and 75% of the total population.
More than 892,000 people have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, including people from certain vulnerable groups and healthcare workers, to keep the protection against the coronavirus sufficiently high. The general population will receive a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine next year.
