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Girl, 12, becomes youngest person in Europe to die from coronavirus after losing life in Belgium

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Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 12:24pm

By Grainne McKinney @grainnemckinney

A GIRL, 12, has become the youngest person to die from coronavirus in Europe after losing her life in Belgium.

The death was announced by the country’s national crisis centre coronavirus spokesman Emmanuel Andre today.

He said it was an emotionally difficult moment because of the age of the victim, adding that the medical and scientific community had been left devastated.

Andre said: “We are thinking of her family and friends.

“It is an event that is very rare, but one which upsets us greatly.”

The girl has become the youngest person to die from Covid-19 in Europe.

The previous youngest known death on the continent was a boy, 14, who died in Portugal over the weekend.

Vitor Godinho passed away in a hospital near Porto in the early hours of Sunday morning after falling ill.

38,748 people have died from the disease around the world, with the US

Over 800 deaths have been recorded over the past day in Spain with 9-thousand new cases of Covid-19.

That increase is despite the country being under lockdown for a third week. 

There have been 23 deaths in Northern Ireland, after a man passed away at South Antrim Acute Hospital overnight.

There are 533 confirmed cases here. 

1,408 people have died across the UK, while 54 people have died as a result of the virus in the Republic