Translation: The increase in the figures of the coronavirus epidemic in Belgium, far from calming down, is getting completely out of control at the end of October. The rate of increase of the average number of contaminations continues to rise day by day. And it will continue to do so: on Monday, nearly 6,500 new cases were recorded, not yet taken into account in the calculation of the average. A number never reached during the third wave! You have to go back to… 10 November, almost a year ago, still in the middle of the second wave, to find so many contaminations in 24 hours.
Unfortunately, the trend in admissions is just as worrying. Belgian hospitals have just recorded the admission of 130 new patients for Covid in 24 hours, a new record in 5 months that sets the average at 88 daily hospitalisations, 53% more than the previous week.
But more importantly, when comparing the figures for one day to the same day in the previous week, the increase is growing every day, a sign of an exponential phenomenon. 130 admissions is 80% more than the figures recorded on the previous Thursday (and corresponding in fact to the entries on Tuesday). The reproduction rate, based on the evolution of these admissions, now reaches 1.33. As soon as it exceeds 1, it is a sign that the epidemic is progressing.
The number of beds occupied by patients with Covid is now approaching 1000, of which 240 are in intensive care, a jump of 27% and 19% respectively.
The average number of deaths per day is now over 12, a third more than the previous week.
This is still a long way from the situation during the same period a year ago, when peaks of more than 300 hospital admissions per day were already being reached, but it is slowly approaching.
According to several experts, this time we will not experience a wave of such magnitude, but we must start being cautious again… and get vaccinated if we are not, because unvaccinated people will be even more exposed to developing serious forms of the disease, at all ages. Consolidated figures from the Sciensano table
Note: these figures are taken from the updated data published by Sciensano in open data and tabulated here.
Cases detected¹: between 11/10 and 17/10, an average of 3249 new coronavirus infections were detected each day. This is an increase of 53% compared to the previous week.
Tests: between 11/10 and 17/10, an average of 50,261 tests were carried out daily, a total increase of 13% compared to the previous week.
Admissions: an average of 87.7 admissions were made between 14/10 and 20/10. This is an increase of 53% compared to the previous week.
People hospitalised²: 997 patients are currently hospitalised in connection with Covid-19, including 240 patients treated in intensive care.
Positivity rate³: based on test results obtained between 11/10 and 17/10, it is 6.8%.
Reproduction rate: calculated on the basis of the evolution of admissions, the Rt of the coronavirus is now 1.33. When it is higher than 1, it means that the transmission of the virus is accelerating.
Deaths: between 10/10 and 16/10, an average of 12.3 people died from the virus. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 25,816 people have died from the coronavirus.
¹ Detected cases are the number of patients for whom a positive test has confirmed the presence of the virus. The date considered is the date of diagnosis, not the test result. Data are considered consolidated after 4 days. The number of cases may partly depend on the testing strategy: if one tests more systematically, one also detects more cases.
² Inpatients are counted as patients already hospitalised for another reason and who have tested positive.
The positivity rate is the number of positive tests in relation to the number of tests performed. The same person can be tested several times. It also depends on the testing strategy: if not enough tests are done, the positivity rate will be higher.
Honestly I’m not really following the news anymore and I didn’t even know we were doing badly. Everything feels like normal again.
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Translation: The increase in the figures of the coronavirus epidemic in Belgium, far from calming down, is getting completely out of control at the end of October. The rate of increase of the average number of contaminations continues to rise day by day. And it will continue to do so: on Monday, nearly 6,500 new cases were recorded, not yet taken into account in the calculation of the average. A number never reached during the third wave! You have to go back to… 10 November, almost a year ago, still in the middle of the second wave, to find so many contaminations in 24 hours.
Unfortunately, the trend in admissions is just as worrying. Belgian hospitals have just recorded the admission of 130 new patients for Covid in 24 hours, a new record in 5 months that sets the average at 88 daily hospitalisations, 53% more than the previous week.
But more importantly, when comparing the figures for one day to the same day in the previous week, the increase is growing every day, a sign of an exponential phenomenon. 130 admissions is 80% more than the figures recorded on the previous Thursday (and corresponding in fact to the entries on Tuesday). The reproduction rate, based on the evolution of these admissions, now reaches 1.33. As soon as it exceeds 1, it is a sign that the epidemic is progressing.
The number of beds occupied by patients with Covid is now approaching 1000, of which 240 are in intensive care, a jump of 27% and 19% respectively.
The average number of deaths per day is now over 12, a third more than the previous week.
This is still a long way from the situation during the same period a year ago, when peaks of more than 300 hospital admissions per day were already being reached, but it is slowly approaching.
According to several experts, this time we will not experience a wave of such magnitude, but we must start being cautious again… and get vaccinated if we are not, because unvaccinated people will be even more exposed to developing serious forms of the disease, at all ages. Consolidated figures from the Sciensano table
Note: these figures are taken from the updated data published by Sciensano in open data and tabulated here.
Cases detected¹: between 11/10 and 17/10, an average of 3249 new coronavirus infections were detected each day. This is an increase of 53% compared to the previous week.
Tests: between 11/10 and 17/10, an average of 50,261 tests were carried out daily, a total increase of 13% compared to the previous week.
Admissions: an average of 87.7 admissions were made between 14/10 and 20/10. This is an increase of 53% compared to the previous week.
People hospitalised²: 997 patients are currently hospitalised in connection with Covid-19, including 240 patients treated in intensive care.
Positivity rate³: based on test results obtained between 11/10 and 17/10, it is 6.8%.
Reproduction rate: calculated on the basis of the evolution of admissions, the Rt of the coronavirus is now 1.33. When it is higher than 1, it means that the transmission of the virus is accelerating.
Deaths: between 10/10 and 16/10, an average of 12.3 people died from the virus. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 25,816 people have died from the coronavirus.
¹ Detected cases are the number of patients for whom a positive test has confirmed the presence of the virus. The date considered is the date of diagnosis, not the test result. Data are considered consolidated after 4 days. The number of cases may partly depend on the testing strategy: if one tests more systematically, one also detects more cases.
² Inpatients are counted as patients already hospitalised for another reason and who have tested positive.
The positivity rate is the number of positive tests in relation to the number of tests performed. The same person can be tested several times. It also depends on the testing strategy: if not enough tests are done, the positivity rate will be higher.
Honestly I’m not really following the news anymore and I didn’t even know we were doing badly. Everything feels like normal again.