BRUSSELS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Belgium has a second case of COVID-19, Belgian Minister of Public Health Maggie De Block announced Sunday at a press conference in Brussels.
"The patient has moderate symptoms but is in relatively good health," said Maggie De Block.
The infected patient was tested on Saturday night in Antwerp, the second most populous city in Belgium after Brussels. The confirmed patient, who is now at the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), is said to have stayed in France, in a region particularly affected by the virus.
"With this confirmation of contamination, we are now entering a new phase in the fight against the coronavirus. The aim is to prevent its spread in the country from now on," said the minister.
Belgium reported the first case of COVID-19 early February, when one of the nine returnees from Wuhan, China tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Belgian was discharged from the Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels on Feb. 15 after tests turned out to be negative.
