The corona figures continue to rise: both the number of infections and the number of hospital admissions.
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On Friday, 603 corona patients were in intensive care in Belgian hospitals, according to the latest figures released by the health institute Sciensano. The day before, there were 578 corona patients in intensive care.
So the increase is still continuing. In the week from 13 to 19 November, an average of 268.3 people a day were hospitalized with a corona infection. That is 29 percent more than last week. There are now 2,957 corona patients in Belgian hospitals, 90 more in one day.
Moreover, there are almost a quarter more in a week. There are 603 COVID patients in the intensive care units, also an increase of 24 percent in a week and more than a hundred more than last Friday (487). In addition, 312 patients required respiratory support, 37 others were on the heart-lung machine (ECMO).
The number of corona infections is also still increasing. The seven-day average is already 12,054 infections per day, an increase of 19 percent in a week. An average of 85,109 tests were taken during that period, of which 14.4 percent turned out to be positive. East Flanders registered the largest increase, with a 44 percent increase in the number of positive tests. This is followed by West Flanders (+25 pc), Antwerp (+24 pc) and Namur (+21 pc). In Limburg, the number of infections rose by 19 percent, in Flemish Brabant that is plus 17 percent.
In addition, in the week from 10 to 16 November, an average of 30.9 people per day died after being infected with the corona virus. That is also an increase (+29 percent). The total death toll for Belgium since the start of the pandemic is 26,600.
Stricter measures
Now that the fourth wave of contamination of the corona pandemic is raging so fiercely, stricter corona measures will apply again from today. For example, face masks must be worn again in just about all public indoor spaces, from the age of 10 instead of 12. This also applies to public events outside. The mouth masks may only be ‘occasionally dropped to eat and drink’ or, for example, when exercising.
Telework will also become mandatory again, unless this is impossible due to ‘the nature of the position or the continuity of the business operations, activities or services’. An exception applies, among other things, to SMEs that employ fewer than five people.
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