A guide through the daily Covid-19 stats.
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Over the past week, an average of 1,231 infections were detected daily. That is an increase of 76 percent compared to a week earlier. The long decline that started in May has been reversed since the start of the summer holidays. Due to the holiday period, a lot is tested: more than 63,000 times a day.
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The percentage of positive tests rises slightly to 2 percent, still comfortably well below the limit of maximum 5 percent marked by the World Health Organization. It’s been last summer since such a low percentage of positive tests.
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The low positivity ratio suggests that the virus is circulating less vigorously in society. The same picture appears for the pressure on healthcare. Over the past week, an average of 21 people have been hospitalized with Covid-19 every day. That is still a low figure, but an increase of 21 percent on a weekly basis.
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According to the latest figures, 239 people are still in hospital with Covid-19, a stagnation on a weekly basis. The number of patients in the intensive care unit falls to 81 (-13%).
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The death rate is also on the way back. On average, there are still two deaths every day. 25,200 people have died in our country from the consequences of the corona virus.
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Syringe towards freedom
The effect of the vaccination campaign is visible in the statistics. From mid-February a clear decrease can be seen in the number of deaths among the elderly.
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Test, test, test
The vaccination campaign is the highway to freedom. Meanwhile, a broad testing strategy should help contain the virus. In the past week, on average ruim 63.000 tests taken per day. That is a decrease of 6 percent, but still significantly higher than the figures from June, which may be because people are tested before they can travel.
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Where and with whom does the virus circulate?
The provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders and the Brussels Region have the most new infections. And in recent weeks we have seen a sharp increase in the number of infections among under-18s, who are now tested much more often. The infections in people over 80 are decreasing, which may have to do with the vaccinations in that group.
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Pressure on care is decreasing
25,000 victims
During the past seven days, an average of two people died from the disease every day. That brings the death toll since the start of the pandemic at 25.205. Overall, we find that Covid-19 is more deadly for old people. More than half of those who died since March last year are 85 or older.
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Not all deaths end up in the corona statistics. To know the real impact of the coronavirus in Belgium and to be able to compare it with that in other countries, the excess mortality is a more correct indicator. That is the number of extra deaths compared to the average of previous years.
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During the first week of April 2020, at the height of the first wave, more than twice as many people died as in previous years. The heaviest toll is on the over-85s, the age group where more people have died since the spring than in other years. In the group up to 24 years of age, fewer people died almost consistently in 2020 than expected, partly because there are fewer traffic accidents.
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