The death toll of a coronavirus outbreak in a care home linked to a Father Christmas party for the elderly last month has reached 27.
The Mol care centre in northern Belgium had organised a December 4 visit of the beloved figure who usually spreads mirth and presents, but there is a possibility the actor who played him could have been a super spreader of Covid-19 unbeknownst to himself.
The municipality said on New Year s Eve that a 27th person had died but the outbreak was finally stabilising.
Belgium, a nation of 11.5 million, has been badly hit by the pandemic with 19,441 deaths so far, many of them in care homes.
18 Die At Care Home After Visit From Covid-19 Infected Santa in Belgium
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Santa The Super-Spreader, Kills 18 In Belgian Nursing Home
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18 care home residents die after Santa visit followed by coronavirus outbreak Zoe Tidman © Provided by The Independent
Eighteen care home residents in Belgium have reportedly died after contracting coronavirus, following a visit from a man dressed as Santa Claus.
The visitor was reportedly among the first to test positive after his trip to the Hemelrijck home in Mol, a town in Antwerp province.
It is yet unclear whether his visit was the cause of the outbreak, which authorities are still looking into, according to
The city council said on Christmas Eve that 13 residents had died at the care home, after being infected with coronavirus.
Over 70 people have Covid-19 at a nursing home in Belgium after a visit from Santa Claus Dec 15, 2020, 09:08 AM
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This picture taken on November 8, 2020 shows a Santa Claus figurine photographed among surgical masks in Paris, as France is on a second lockdown aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus .
JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images
More than 70 people were infected with coronavirus at a nursing home in Belgium after a recent visit from a man dressed up as Santa Claus, CNN reported.
Fourteen employees and 61 residents tested positive for the virus. Of those infected, one resident died as a result of the outbreak in the home, according to CNN.