Belgium’s coronavirus reproduction rate has dropped below 1.0 again as infections continue their decrease, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Friday.
Between 2 and 8 February, an average of 2,053.9 new people tested positive per day, which is a 13% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of confirmed cases in Belgium since the beginning of the pandemic is 733,100. 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, 268.9 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 5% increase compared to the two weeks before.
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Between 5 and 11 February, an average of 125.6 patients were admitted to hospital, which is 1% fewer than the week before.
In total, 1,642 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 10 fewer than yesterday. Of all patients, 294 are in intensive care, which is 9 fewer than yesterday. A total of 162 patients are on a ventilator – 4 fewer than yesterday.
From 1 to 7 February, an average number of 42.7 deaths occurred per day, marking a 2.7% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 21,551.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 8,778,942 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 49,403.3 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 5.1%.
The percentage decreased by 0.4% compared to last week, along with a 1% decrease in testing.
A total of 347,027 people in Belgium have received the first dose of their vaccinations, or 3.76% of the population aged 18 and older. In addition, 130,741 people have received their second dose.
The reproduction rate, finally, stands at 0.98, which means that a person infected with coronavirus infects just under one other person on average and the pandemic is no longer growing.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
