Of the 21 people who died from the consequences of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) in Belgium, 12 were from Brussels, according to Sciensano.
According to the latest daily update by Sciensano, the national public health and research institute of Belgium, 2 people died in Flanders, 7 in Wallonia, and 12 in Brussels.
Even though the numbers of confirmed infected people per 1,000 citizens are roughly the same in Flanders and Brussels, and only a little lower in Wallonia, according to the data, the proportion of infected people dying is a lot higher in Brussels than in the rest of the country.
However, experts have pointed out that, as this is still only the beginning of the epidemic in Belgium, the centre of the outbreak can significantly affect the figures. "The outbreak in that residential care centre in Watermael-Boitsfort, for example, could play a role," said Erika Vlieghe, head of infectious diseases at the UZA, to Bruzz.
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The figures will level out some over the next few days, according to her. "Patients all over the country are now in hospitals and, unfortunately, some of them will die," Vlieghe said.
The first infected people in Belgium were often tourists returning from a skiing trip in Italy, she said. "These people, in turn, infected the older and vulnerable groups in their surroundings. This may explain why wealthier municipalities are currently even more affected than districts where fewer people have gone skiing," Vlieghe said.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
