Over 3,000 new cases of coronavirus a day
For the first time in nearly four months the daily average number of new cases of coronavirus has topped 3,000.
In the week to 17 March on average 175 patients with Covid, the disease caused by coronavirus, were hospitalised each day. The figure is up 16% on the week. Hospitalisations are up for the fifth day in a row. Yesterday the increase was 12%.
207 patients were hospitalised on Wednesday – down 1 on the day. 192 (-38) patients were discharged on Tuesday.
2,121 (+36) patients are currently being treated for Covid in hospital; 534 (+12) are in critical care with 282 (+7) on a ventilator.
In the week to 14 March on average 25 deaths a day were linked to Covid. The figure is unchanged on the week. It’s the first time in weeks that average deaths are no longer falling.
In the week to 14 March on average 3,052 people a day tested positive for coronavirus. The figure is up 29% on the week. Yesterday’s rise was 26%. In previous days increases of 21% and 15% were recorded.
In the week to 14 March 48,400 tests a day were carried out on average. That’s 10% up on the week. 6.8% of tests came back positive.
By 16 March 832,140 people in Belgium had received a first shot of the corona vaccine; 400,980 had had a second jab.