People wearing face masks walk on the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium, on March 13, 2021. Belgium has so far confirmed a total of 801,723 coronavirus cases, according to figures released on Saturday by the Public Health Institute Sciensano. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)
BRUSSELS, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Belgium has so far confirmed a total of 801,723 coronavirus cases, according to figures released on Saturday by the Public Health Institute Sciensano.
The country's total coronavirus-related deaths now stood at 22,397. New infection cases are on the rise, albeit at a slower rate. From March 3 to 9, an average of 2,522 new infections was reported per day by Sciensano.
Belgium's COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on Dec. 28, 2020. Three types of vaccines are currently being used across the country, namely Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.
Some 721,826 people have received their first dose of the vaccine. Among them, 365,808 have already received the second dose.
However, two suspected cases of blood clots have been reported on Saturday after the AstraZeneca vaccination in Belgium, according to the Belgian newspapers Sudpresse.
The COVID-19 vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has been suspended in a number of countries across Europe and Asia, following reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the Geneva-based UN health agency "systematically reviews safety signals, and is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine."
But France Dammel, a spokesperson for Belgium's health minister, said that the AstraZeneca vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine for people aged 18 and over.
As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.
Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by WHO on Friday.
