Deaths from coronavirus top 9,000 in Belgium

With an increase of 47 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the novel coronavirus had caused a total of 9,005 deaths in Belgium since the beginning of the epidemic, said the public health institute Sciensano on Saturday.

Of the 9,005 deaths, 48 percent took place in hospitals, 51 percent in nursing homes, and about 0.6 percent elsewhere, according to Sciensano. Deaths in hospitals were all confirmed COVID-19 cases. Fatalities in nursing homes were 23 percent confirmed by test while the remaining 77 percent were presumed by symptoms.

Also in the past 24 hours, 345 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, raising the cumulative cases to 54,989 in Belgium.

The total number of people admitted to the hospital with coronavirus symptoms now stands at 1,750. There have been 65 new hospital admissions in the last 24 hours, Sciensano stated.

A total of 364 patients are in intensive care, a decrease of 16 patients in the past 24 hours. A total of 14,460 people have been discharged from hospital and declared cured since March 15, with an increase of 159 in the past 24 hours, according to Sciensano.