More than 40% of adults in Belgium have already received their first coronavirus vaccine jab
The public health science institute Sciensano has released the latest figures on the coronavirus pandemic in Belgium. While the number of people testing positive for the virus remains stable, the significant fall in the number of COVID-19 patients being cared for in the country’s hospitals continues. Meanwhile, the percentage of adults in Belgium that have been given their first shot of coronavirus vaccine now exceeds 40%.
During the week from 6 to 12 May an average of 154 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalised each day. This is 16% down on the 7-day average for the previous week. On Wednesday 12 May the country’s hospitals reported 148 admissions of patients with COVID-19. 217 patients were discharged. This brings the total number of patients with COVID-19 that are being cared for in Belgian hospitals to 2,024, a fall of 18% compared with a week ago. Of those hospitalised 657 patients are on intensive care wards, 405 of whom are on ventilators.
During the week from 3 to 9 May an average of 37 people with COVID-19 died each day. This is down a modest 0.8% on the average for the previous week. So far 24,630 people with COVID-19 have died in Belgium.
During the week from 3 to 9 May an average of 2,993 people in Belgium tested positive for coronavirus each day this is up 1% on the average for the previous week. During the same period an average of 52,600 people were tested, an increase of 11% on the previous week.
Of those tested 6.4% tested positive for the virus. This is 0.8 percentage points down on the previous week, but still way above the 5% threshold above which the WHO describes an epidemic as “giving cause for concern”.
During the week from 3 to 9 May an average of 37 people with COVID-19 died each day. This is down a modest 0.8% on the average for the previous week. So far 24,630 people with COVID-19 have died in Belgium.
The basic reproductive rate for coronavirus in Belgium now stands at 0.91. This means that every 100 people infected with coronavirus infect a further 91 others.
On Tuesday 12 May (the latest date for which figures are available) 3,704,273 people been given their first shot of coronavirus vaccine. This is 40.3% of the adult population. 1,116,292 had been given both shots are fully immunised.