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At least 26 residents of a nursing home in Belgium have died after visiting a volunteer dressed as Santa Claus, which tested positive for COVID-19, reported AFP.
A Flemish health official said he was not yet sure whether the visitor had brought the coronavirus to a nursing home on the Mall on December 5.
But 26 residents died after the visit, and more 85 people tested positive for coronavirus, along with 40 servants.
The epidemic was discovered a few days after the visit and renowned virologist Mark Van Ranst said on Twitter that most of the infections came from the same source.
The white-bearded man dressed in a red figure from Sinterklaas, the equivalent of Santa Claus in the English-speaking world, brings gifts to Belgians every December 6.
However, this year’s celebrations were overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, which hit Belgium very hard, especially in its nursing homes.
No investigation has been launched in the absence of a formal complaint, said the regional spokesman for health authorities and there is no indication that the volunteer knew they were infected.
But a crisis manager has been appointed for the nursing home in question, which housed 169 people prior to the COVID-19 infection, to help staff, residents and family members get through “this difficult time.”
Belgium was among those most affected by the pandemic, the world leader in the number of coronavirus deaths per capita, and more than half of the deaths (11,066 people) are residents of nursing homes.
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