Covid-19 kills 26 in Belgian care residence after Santa Claus go to

At least 26 residents of a Belgian retirement residence have died since a go to by a volunteer dressed as Santa Claus. The volunteer has since examined optimistic for COVID-19, Belgian media reported on Thursday.
A Flemish well being official advised AFP information company that’s not sure if it was the customer who introduced the virus to the house in Hemelrijck on December 5.
But the go to by the contaminated Father Christmas was adopted by 26 deaths and 85 residents testing optimistic, together with 40 workers.
The outbreak was detected a couple of days after the go to and virologists say those that have been contaminated got here from the identical supply.
Santa didn’t know he was contaminated The white-bearded, red-robed determine of Sinterklaas, the equal to the English-speaking world’s Santa Claus, historically brings items to Belgians on December 6.

But this yr’s festivities have been muted. Belgium is among the nations in Europe that has been affected worst by the coronavirus pandemic.
Retirement houses have been vectors of the virus and greater than half of the deceased, comprising 11,066 individuals, have been retirement residence residents.
A regional well being spokesman mentioned there isn’t any suggestion that the volunteer knew he was contaminated with COVID-19 when he got here to the house.