Covid-19 update: hike in the latest figures confirmed
The rolling average of hospitalisations is 26 percent up on the week. The number of new cases is soaring as well and is 36 percent up on the week. The number of corona patients in intensive care wardens keeps going up.
- Between 13 and 19 March an average of 187 corona patients had to be taken to hospital each day, a rise of 26 percent on the week. Yesterday, hospitals across Belgium reported 182 new patients, compared to 208 on Thursday.
- This brings the number of corona patients in Belgian hospitals to 2,153 (+13). 550 of them need special treatment in intensive care (+7), 310 of them (+13) are on ventilators. Belgian hospitals can make a total of about 1,000 beds available in intensive care; experts are afraid this milestone could be reached around mid-April if the present hike continues. Care for patients with other problems is already being postponed at present. Four weeks ago, 'only' 315 patients were on in intensive care.
- An average of 3,438 new cases per day were confirmed between 10 and 16 March, a rise of 36 percent on the week. More testing is being done, but the number of people testing positive has also risen to 7.2 percent.
- The number of fatalities was at 24 corona patients per day between 10 and 16 March, a slight drop on the week.
- 903,656 Belgians have been vaccinated so far. Almost 420,000 of them have received a second jab. The vaccination percentage among Belgian adults is around 10 percent now. In Britain, 50 percent of the adult population has already received a first jab.