The fight against the coronavirus epidemic is moving in the right direction in Belgium, the country's health authorities said Friday, November 6.

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Virginia Mayo / AP / SIPA

The light at the end of the tunnel.

While at the end of October, Belgium was the country where the coronavirus circulated the most in the world, the fight against the epidemic seems to be working, the country's health authorities said on Friday.

"For a few days, we have fortunately seen the figures evolve in the right direction," said the inter-federal spokesperson for the fight against the coronavirus in Belgium, Yves Van Laethem, at a press conference.

“We can finally see the peak of this second wave emerging,” he added, estimating that it could be dated Tuesday, October 27, when 22,171 new cases were identified.

Belgium has notably recorded a very slight drop in new infections, as well as hospital admissions, for the first time since September.

"It is not because these results are better that they are good"

The number of intensive care patients, as well as the number of deaths, continue to increase, but "at a slower rate".

"It is not because these results are better that they are good", warned Yves Van Laethem, however.

“We remain with the Czech Republic the European champions in the number of new infections.

"This is obviously not the time to give up," he hammered, calling for "to maintain the current rate of observation of measurements for many more weeks before we can be in relative safety" .

Belgium strengthened its confinement for six weeks at the end of October.

The measures include in particular the closure of “non-essential” businesses (excluding food, pharmacies and bookstores) and, for businesses, the obligation of teleworking where it is possible.

This country of 11.5 million inhabitants had 7,282 patients in hospitals on Friday, including 1,428 in intensive care.

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