Corona figures continue to fall, but slowly
The daily number of hospital admissions, deaths and infections linked to coronavirus continues to fall. 3,348 patients are currently being treated in hospital with Covid, the disease caused by coronavirus.
In the week to 3 December, on average, 187 people a day were hospitalised with Covid. The figure is down 24% on the week.
On Friday there were 218 new admissions. 281 people left hospital. 789 patients are in critical care; 516 patients are on a ventilator.
In the week to 1 December, on average, 115 people with Covid a day died. The figure is down 21% on the previous week when the average daily death toll stood at 146.
In the week to 1 December on average 2,178 people a day tested positive for coronavirus. The figure is 14% down on the week.
During the same period on average 29,700 tests a day were carried out. 9% of tests came back positive.
The figures from health science institute Sciensano show that Belgium now has 248 cases per 100,000 head of population. Belgian figures are today more favourable than in many other European countries.
Only in Iceland (58), Ireland (82), Finland (108) and Norway (122) are figures lower. The worst figures are recorded in Luxembourg (1,213), Croatia (1,083) and Lithuania (1,011).
Official figures show that this year 14,000 people more than average died in Belgium. The figure for 2020 has been compared with the average of the past three years. This year, 111,000 people died during the first eleven months of the year. During the past three years the figure stood at 97,000 on average. The corona pandemic is being blamed but also the heatwave in August.