12-year-old corona infected girl dies in Belgium

BRUSSELS: A 12-year-old girl confirmed infected with COVID-19 has died in Belgium, health officials said Tuesday.

Fatality at such a young age “is a very rare occurrence,” said government spokesman Dr Emmanuel Andre, adding that her death “shook us”. The girl had had a fever for three days before her death, and tested positive for COVID-19, said another spokesman, Steven Van Gucht.

No other details were given about her case, including whether she had any other underlying health problems. It was the first death of a child in the coronavirus crisis in Belgium, which has now recorded a total 705 deaths from the disease it causes, according to the latest official toll. Last week, France reported the death of a 16-year-old girl from coronavirus in the greater Paris region. Although serious COVID-19 infections are uncommon among the young, some exceptional cases have been taken to hospital intensive-care wards, as US health authorities have pointed out.

Belgium´s toll on Tuesday represented a jump of nearly 200 fatalities from that given the previous day, which stood at 513. It comprised 98 deaths recorded in the preceding 24-hour period, plus another 94 deaths over previous days but which had not been counted in the national tally, Andre said.