Health authorities in Belgium said Friday that a 3-year-old girl died after testing positive for coronavirus. She is believed to be the youngest person to die of COVID-19 complications in the nation as cases continue to rise in the country.
The girl suffered from several serious associated illnesses, according to a statement. Authorities say she is the youngest known victim of the disease after a 12-year-old girl died in March.
“This news touches us all deeply, whether as scientists or as parents,” said Boudewijn Catry, spokesman for the country’s health authority.
Catry, speaking during a press conference, said the boy’s death is a “wake up call.”
“The fact that young people die from the coronavirus is quite rare, but it should be clear that no one is immune. No one can afford to ignore COVID-19, ”he said, according to The Brussels Times.
The virus severely affected Belgium, with 64,847 confirmed cases and 9,812 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.
There has been an increase in the average infection rate in the past two weeks and the number of new infections increased by 89 percent from the previous week from July 14 to 20.
The news of the boy’s death came just a day after Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès announced new measures to stop the spread of the virus, including a mandate for the wider use of face masks and the requirement that bars and restaurants keep customer contact details.
Belgians will have to wear a mask in public, including in open-air markets, shopping streets and other crowded places under the new guidelines.
Wilmès described the increase in cases as “not abnormal,” but said they should “be kept under control.”
“The latest figures should not panic us, but should be taken seriously,” Wilmès said during a press conference on Thursday.
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