People wait to be tested at a coronavirus test center in Brussels, Belgium, on April 5, 2021. Belgium has so far confirmed a total of 900,996 coronavirus cases, according to figures released on Monday by the Public Health Institute Sciensano. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
BRUSSELS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A recent drop in the number of new coronavirus infections shows that Belgium might finally be at a tipping point in its fight against the disease, Yves Van Laethem, the government's interfederal spokesman on COVID-19, said here on Friday.
Between March 23 and March 30, an average of 4,814 new people tested positive per day, at an infection rate of 11 percent, which is significantly down from the 41 percent registered two weeks ago.
"The slight drop in infections does not mean that the game is won," Van Laethem said.
The third COVID-19 wave peaked on March 22, where Belgium registered a staggering 6,279 new infections in a single day, he said.
The COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom accounts for around 78 percent of the new infections in Belgium.
Despite the positive developments, Van Laethem said that people should continue to observe the rules and regulations, including limiting social contacts with others.
Police were deployed on Thursday to disperse crowds in Brussels' Bois de la Cambre park after thousands of people gathered to attend a fake festival that was announced as an April Fools' Day joke.
In a tweet on Friday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the situation was "unacceptable."
To date, Belgium has recorded a total of 887,920 COVID-19 cases and 23,045 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccinations are underway in an increasing number of countries with already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.
Meanwhile, 269 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 85 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Friday. Enditem
