12-year-old infected with coronavirus dies in Belgium

A 12-year-old girl confirmed infected with COVID-19 has died in Belgium, health officials said Tuesday.

The young age of the fatality "is a very rare occurrence," said a government spokesman, Dr Emmanuel Andre, adding that her death "shook us".

It was the first death of a child in the coronavirus crisis gripping Belgium, which has now recorded a total 705 deaths from the disease it causes, according to the latest official toll.