Last year has been one of the deadliest in Belgium since 1918, when the Spanish flu broke out, health officials stated during a press conference on Tuesday.
The second wave of coronavirus infections is even more deadly than the first, according to virologist and interfederal Covid-19 spokesperson Steven Van Gucht.
"2020 is one of the deadliest years in Belgium since the Spanish flu in 1918," he said.
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"The peak of the number of deaths during the second wave was lower than that of the first wave, but because the number of deaths only decreases slowly, this second wave is ultimately more deadly," Van Gucht said.
On Sunday 10 January, Belgium passed "the sad milestone of 20,000 Covid deaths," he said.
As of 12 January, 20,122 people have died as a result of the coronavirus, with an average of 53 deaths per day over the last week.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times