Saint-Pierre ready for potential outbreak of coronavirus

CHU Saint-Pierre in the centre of Brussels is ready for any potential patients with the coronavirus. It will be the hub of care and prevention in Belgium in case of an outbreak, federal health minister Maggie De Block has announced.

Since the outbreak of the contagious virus in China, 26 people have died and some 43 million are under quarantine. People have been hospitalised with the virus in many other countries, including Japan, Vietnam and the United States.

While the chance of an outbreak in Belgium is small, De Block still wanted a hospital to be ready for any eventuality. “We are completely prepared,” a CHU Saint-Pierre spokesperson told Bruzz. “We were appointed not only because we have a quarantine space but because we are specialised in epidemics such as this.”

The hospital, near Porte de Hal, has a special license that identifies it as an expert in infectious diseases. It is a university hospital, linked to both ULB and VUB. The latter university has also taken the step to stop any exchange programmes in China until the coronavirus is under control.

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