Belgium records half of coronavirus deaths in nursing homes

Employees sit in an elderly residence following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Brussels, Belgium April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Nursing homes account for nearly half of all coronavirus-related deaths in Belgium, data showed on Wednesday, in what may serve as a warning to other nations which may be underestimating fatality rates in the pandemic.

Belgium is one of few countries in Europe that includes in its daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths all non-hospitalised people who displayed symptoms of the disease even if they had not been confirmed as having had it.