BRUSSELS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, the daily number of people cured overtook that of people hospitalized, health authority confirmed Sunday.
The public health institute Sciensano, in charge of monitoring and analyzing the COVID-19 data, reported that in the past 24 hours, 499 COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized while 504 people have left the hospital.
Belgium has recorded 1,260 new cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the total to 19,691 with 1,447 deaths, the Sciensano said.
Belgium detected the first case of the novel coronavirus infection in early February, when one of the nine returnees from Wuhan, China, tested positive for the virus. The Belgian was discharged from a hospital in Brussels on Feb. 15 after tests turned negative.
