Europe’s youngest coronavirus victim, 12, was ‘sent home by doc who thought her fever was just an allergic reaction’ – The Sun

EUROPE'S youngest victim of the coronavirus was reportedly sent home by a doctor who thought her fever was just an allergic reaction.

The 12-year-old girl, named Rachel and from Ghent, Belgium, is thought to have been healthy before spending three days battling a fever at home.

She had been give a medication to address her fever, and a GP told her mother that the coronavirus "seemed out of the question" as a possible cause.

But her condition continued to worsen after she got home to the point that, by Monday morning, she was struggling to breathe.

Her mother, originally from Ghana, phoned for an ambulance, but a language barrier meant an operator wasn't able to tell what she wanted.

The call ended without an ambulance being dispatched, and dispatchers were unable to reconnect with the mother after three attempts to call her back.

Emergency workers also listened back to the first call but were still unable to tell what the mother was asking for.

Police were sent to the address but by then a friend had taken the family to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

She is thought to be the youngest person to have died from the virus in Europe.

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Rachel's sister has said the girl "was not a priority" for coronavirus treatment because of her age.

"Rachel was perfectly healthy. Belgium must start testing young people for the virus," she told the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper.

"Only then can children like Rachel be saved."

Schools across Belgium had already been closed by the time Rachel became ill, and it remains unclear where she contracted the virus.

No-one in her immediate family is currently displaying symptoms and none have undergone a test for the virus following her death.

Belgium has so far seen almost 14,000 cases and at least 828 deaths from the coronavirus.

The country is currently in a national lockdown due to go on until at least April 19.