Belgian tests positive for coronavirus
A Belgian citizen repatriated from China has tested positive for coronavirus, the country’s health ministry said Tuesday.
“In Belgium, a case of the new coronavirus has been detected in one of our compatriots repatriated from Wuhan. The Belgian health authorities remain vigilant for possible further cases in our country,” the ministry wrote in a statement.
Belgium on Sunday evacuated nine people from China’s Wuhan, where the outbreak began. All underwent testing at a military hospital in Brussels, the ministry said. Eight of them tested negative.
La personne diagnostiquée avec le #coronavirus est en bonne santé et ne présente pour le moment aucun signe de maladie: https://t.co/7rcuie79Pe @SanteBelgique #BeGov
— Maggie De Block (@Maggie_DeBlock) February 4, 2020
This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in the EU to 22 in seven member countries. In addition, the U.K. has reported two cases.
Belgium’s first confirmed case comes as the virus, which has sickened at least 20,000 people since it broke out in late December, continues to spread globally, with the World Health Organisation declaring the outbreak a global health emergency last week.
In Europe, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Spain and Sweden have all confirmed cases of the virus.
Read more via Politico/The Brussels Times
