Coronavirus death toll in Belgium tops 5,000

The Belgian health authorities confirmed Friday 313 new COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 5,163.

Among the total victims, 49 percent occurred in hospitals while 50 percent in nursing homes, said the public health institute Sciensano.

Belgium recorded 1,329 new cases in the past 24 hours. The country has registered a total of 36,138 COVID-19 confirmed cases between March 15 and April 16, according to the health authorities.

The public health institute said the strength of the virus is decreasing thanks to the collective effort and respect for containment measures. They called on people to maintain containment efforts and respect social distance.

"Let's only make essential journeys because the objective is clear: the curve must decrease and together we can do it," concluded the authorities in a press briefing on Friday.