Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 22, 2026 46 minutes ago
Belgium continues to record elevated COVID-19 circulation into mid-October 2026, according to the latest wastewater surveillance from Sciensano. Samples collected on Monday 12th October still show national SARS-CoV-2 activity classified as high across the network of 30 treatment plants that cover 39 percent of the population.
Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus remain low in the same samples, indicating that the current signal is driven by SARS-CoV-2.
Sciensano wastewater samples from 12th October 2026 confirm high national SARS-CoV-2 activity in Belgium
driven by the XFG variant.
Wastewater Data Confirms Sustained High Levels
Sciensano’s dashboard, updated with the 12 October samples, maintains the high activity designation that has been in place for several weeks. Multiple stations report moderate to high concentrations, and some locations have reached multi-year highs. Local monitoring in Leuven, reported in early October, detected the highest concentrations in roughly a year after an extended period of near-undetectable levels that began rising sharply from August. Because wastewater captures both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections without depending on individual testing, these readings provide the most consistent real-time picture of community transmission. The next wastewater update is scheduled for 26 October.
Clinical Indicators Show Gradual Rise with Limited Severity During Initial Acute Infection Stage
Detailed general-practitioner consultation rates and hospital figures published by Sciensano remain those from the third week of September, when suspected COVID-19 visits stood at 16.7 per 100,000 inhabitants and confirmed cases at 4.8 per 100,000.
Hospital admissions for severe acute respiratory infections linked to the virus were 0.9 per 100,000. Mid-October statements from Sciensano indicate that indicators have continued to increase gradually for several weeks.
The overall alert level remains green. Routine individual testing is minimal, so absolute case counts stay very low and understate true circulation.
Variant and Surveillance Context
The XFG subvariant of Omicron continues to dominate the rebound that Sciensano earlier described as a roughly tenfold increase in circulation since the historic lows of June. In this
Thailand Medical News report the combination of sustained high wastewater readings through 12th October and stable low hospitalization rates illustrates how integrated respiratory-virus surveillance now tracks seasonal COVID-19 activity.
Public-health authorities continue to recommend autumn boosters for adults 65 and older, care-home residents, pregnant individuals, and people with weakened immune systems.
Ongoing monitoring of wastewater, primary-care networks, and hospital data will clarify whether the current elevation begins to decline after mid-October or plateaus at present levels.
Official sources:
https://wastewater.sciensano.be/dashboard/respiratoryviruses/en/
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https://www.sciensano.be/en/topics/wastewater-surveillance
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/european-respiratory-virus-surveillance-summary-erviss
https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/summary 
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