Sciensano, the national public health institute of Belgium, announced on Tuesday that the average number of coronavirus infections had risen to 517.1 cases per day between 25 and 31 July. This represents a 60% increase in comparison to the previous week that noted 323.6 cases per day. The overall number of infections in the country has risen to 70,314.
New cases of hospitalisations are also on the rise, counting an average of 25 admissions per day. The number of deaths is set at 2.4 per day at the moment. Yesterday, there were 290 people hospitalised with Covid-19, out of which 54 had to receive intensive care.
Frédérique Jacobs, the nation’s leading spokesperson in the fight against the virus, analysed the data and emphasised that Belgium was not yet hit with a second wave: “We are identifying more cases, but that does not mean the same thing as a second wave. You have to interpret the statistics with great care. When the country was at its peak in March and April, we had 2,000 to 2,500 positive cases a day, whereas now we are at around 500. Back then, we only tested people displaying a significant amount of symptoms. Now we are at greater capacity and can thereby track and trace contacts of positive cases and identify potential asymptomatic ones. In short, our strategy has changed.”
Can the current numbers be compared to the ones in March and April? Jacobs does not think so: “We can witness that there are fewer hospitalisations than before since the virus is currently affecting younger people more. Nevertheless, cases are on the rise, which is reason for concern.”
Jacobs advocates for a tightening of safety measures even if a second wave has not yet reached the country: “If we don’t do anything, it will get worse without a doubt. It is time to break the circle.”
Do I have to go into quarantine after visiting Luxembourg from Belgium?
