Belgium’s increase of daily average new coronavirus infections continues to slow down, according to the latest figures published by the Sciensano public health institute on Wednesday.
Between 13 and 19 December, an average of 2,523.1 new people tested positive per day over the past week, 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 629,109. 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, 297.9 infections were confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants, which is a 9% increase compared to the two weeks before.
Between 16 and 22 December, an average of 182.1 patients was admitted to hospital, which is the same as the week before.
In total, 2,560 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, or 50 fewer than yesterday. Of all patients, 539 are in intensive care, which is 7 fewer than yesterday. A total of 322 patients are on a ventilator – the same number as yesterday.
From 13 to 19 December, an average number of 91 deaths occurred per day, marking a 2.9% decrease compared to the week before.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic is currently 18,821.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 6,656,485 tests have been carried out. Of those tests, an average of 38,522 were taken per day over the past week, with a positivity rate of 7.6%. That means that around one in thirteen people who get tested receive a positive result.
The percentage went down by 0.6% compared to last week, along with a 17% increase in testing.
The reproduction rate, finally, remains at 0.99, which means that a person infected with coronavirus infects just under one other person on average.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
