As predicted, Covid-19 is officially sweeping across Belgium, increasing the number of new infections and hospitalisations. The following data has been released by the figures published by the Sciensano Institute of Public Health on Tuesday morning.
During the last week, an average of 111.3 patients suffering from Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals each day (+18%) – up from an average of around 104 hospitalisations on Friday last week. This data only includes the number of people who are hospitalised due to the virus.
The overall number of people infected with the virus in Belgian hospitals increased to 1,548 (+18% since last week), however, the number of patients being treated in intensive care continues to remain stable at 75. This number does include patients who are admitted due to a different condition who later tested positive.
An average of 3,153 new daily infections were noted between 1 and 7 October, up by 11% from the last week.
Virologist Steven Van Gucht said the predicted wave “seems to be developing” at a press conference on Friday adding that it may peak in the second half of October.
Infections are increasing faster among the working population (meaning staff absenteeism is likely to increase), and as is often the case, are increasing most sharply among healthcare providers in hospitals.
The average number of tests taken per day increased to 13,200, while the positivity rate has risen to 25%, meaning one in four tests has a positive result.
