Belgium: Virus variant blamed for spike in cases in care home

The new variant of COVID-19 first detected in Britain is now starting to gain a foothold in Belgium, officials said Monday, with cases reported in several northern schools on top of an outbreak in a nursing home.The town of Houthulst in northwestern Belgium shot up to the top of the country's infection rate with 1,207 cases per 100,000 over the past 14 days after a spike in cases at a the care home this year left over 100 people infected.

Tests showed the new variant was to blame."Here in the residential care centre, 63 people are infected, 9 people are infected in the adjacent assisted-living apartments and 43 of the staff are infected," Houthulst Mayor Joris Hindryckx told Flemish broadcaster VTM on Sunday, from outside the De Groene Verte care home

In the Antwerp area, two schools reported cases over the weekend and closed Monday for a week due to the new variant.Authorities said students, teachers and their families should all quarantine for ten days. Belgium has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, seeing 20,435 confirmed deaths.

(Image Credit: AP)