The Covid-19 pandemic caused the death of 26 residents in a retirement home for the elderly in Belgium, after the visit of a volunteer dressed as Santa who apparently did not know he was infected. Health sources and the establishment itself reported Thursday.
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The Hemelrijck retirement home – located in Mol, in the province of Antwerp – where 169 people lived in early December, now has 85 positive cases of covid-19 among residents and another 40 infected among staff, he told AFP. an official from the site, who asked for anonymity.
On December 5, the retreat organized the visit of a volunteer dressed as Santa to encourage the elderly and give them various gifts. A few days later, that person tested positive for the coronavirus.
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Belgian virologist expert Marc Van Ranst had pointed out that most infected people in the nursing home were infected ‘from the same source’.
Traditional, Santa Claus – or Sinterklaas – hands out gifts in Belgium every December 6.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the health service of the Flemish Region of Belgium, Joris Moonens, pointed out that at this time there is “no certainty” that Santa was the cause of the infection, nor is there evidence that the volunteer knew it was infected. used to be.
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However, the outbreak was discovered a few days after Santa’s visit, and fears were heightened when it was known that the volunteer did indeed test positive in a test.
The retirement of the elderly in Belgium was badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The country has one of the highest per capita fatalities in the world, and it is estimated that more than half of those who died were elderly living in these types of facilities.
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