All signs of the virus have deteriorated in recent weeks, as the new infection outbreak also results in a buildup of hospitalizations and deaths. There were 1621 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Belgian hospitals on Wednesday, 281 of them in resuscitation, while 33 deaths were recorded,
“We will succeed in our maximum capacity of 2,000 beds until mid-November in the ICU if this type of construction continues,” said COVID-19 crisis center spokesman Yves Van Laethem. “Surely we’ll have to avoid this scenario. “
Van Laethem said 152 new patients were admitted to Belgian hospitals each day during the following week, up 80%. The number of daily deaths was higher by 56% during this period.
“This demonstrates the strength of this exponential growth,” he said. Slowly, it grows little by little, then ends up in an explosive situation. “
Belgium, one of Europe’s most affected countries, introduced a series of restrictive measures last week aimed at slowing down new infections, adding curfews, closing bars in Brussels for at least a month and restricting indoor sports activities.
Van Laethem said the country is lately the worst time in Europe in terms of new coronavirus infections, the Czech Republic.
So far, the virus has killed more than 10,200 people in Belgium, a country of 11. 5 million people hosting the headquarters of the European Union. On average, more than 5,000 new cases were diagnosed daily last week, 93%. accumulating over the past seven days. The number of new infections now doubles every seven days, Van Laethem said.
“But now is not the time to panic, we are not on the same stage as in March-April. Stricter measures can replace the curve,” he said.
Health experts suggested that citizens restrict social gatherings and use a follow-up app. According to them, around 1 million citizens have downloaded the Coronalert app so far, or about 15% of smartphone users.
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