Belgium’s coronavirus figures are barely going down, according to the latest official figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Thursday.
Between 1 and 7 March, an average of 2,359 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 794,605. 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, 289.4 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 17% increase compared to the two weeks before.
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Between 4 and 10 March, an average of 150.7 patients were admitted to hospital per day, a decrease of 1% compared to the week before.
In total, 1,947 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 17 fewer than yesterday. Of all patients, 452 are in intensive care, which is 14 more than yesterday. A total of 249 patients are on a ventilator – the same number as yesterday.
From 1 to 7 March, an average number of 24.6 deaths occurred per day, marking a 2.3% increase compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 22,347.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 9,837,669 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 43,849.1 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 6.1%.
The percentage went down by 0.5% compared to last week, while testing increased by 7%.
A total of 664,712 people in Belgium have been partially vaccinated against coronavirus, or 7.2% of the population aged 18 and older. In addition, 351,934 people - or 3.1% of the entire population - have been fully vaccinated.
The reproduction rate, meanwhile, remains at 1.02, meaning that one person with coronavirus infects more than one other person on average and that the pandemic is growing in Belgium.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
