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Coronavirus live updates: flight carrying Britons from Wuhan lands in UK Coronavirus live updates: flight carrying Britons from Wuhan lands in UK
(32 minutes later)
Cases also reported in Russia, as US advises against travel to ChinaCases also reported in Russia, as US advises against travel to China
The first case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Sweden, according to a report in the digital news publisher The Local.
A patient at the Ryhov County Hospital in Jönköping, central-southern Sweden, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten) confirmed to the website.
The patient is a woman who landed in Sweden on 24 January after visiting the Wuhan area in China. At that point she had no symptoms, said the agency.
But she later developed a cough and contacted the health services in Jönköping.
She is currently being kept in isolation at the clinic for infectious diseases and is not seriously ill.
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“It is important to remember that individual cases is not the same thing as the infection spreading in Sweden. We currently consider this risk to be very low based on experiences from other countries,” said Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the Public Health Agency’s department for microbiology.
Nearly 10,000 Chinese flights have now been suspended since the coronavirus outbreak, according to global travel and data analytics expert Cirium.
The thousands of cancellations in the last week, come as authorities in China, and around the world, grapple with the spread of the virus.
Cirium statistics show that 9,807 scheduled flights within, to and from mainland China did not fly from January 23. The data spans the period from the day before the first reported flight cancellation to 28 January – the latest day for which figures are available.
A growing number of international carriers are suspending scheduled flights to mainland China, including UK airlines. Flagship carrier British Airways has cancelled all of its 129 flights that were scheduled to fly to Beijing and Shanghai from London Heathrow, from January 29 until February 29, affecting up to 24,000 passengers.
Similarly, Virgin Atlantic has today announced it will be suspending its flights to and from China, as of February 2, until further notice. According to Cirium data, the decision could affect 56 of the British carrier’s scheduled flights and as many as 11,500 passengers to the end of February.
This is despite the World Health Organisation specifically asking countries not to impose travel and trade restrictions with China. The health organisation said it would question border closures, quarantining of airplane passengers who aren’t ill, and similar steps.
The hospital in Newcastle which is treating Britain’s first confirmed cases of coronavirus has urged other patients to attend their appointments as normal.
Two Chinese nationals were taken to the hospital from a hotel in York after displaying symptoms of the virus.
In a statement this afternoon, Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals NHS foundation trust said there was “no risk” to other patients and visitors while the pair were undergoing treatment.
It said: “Our hospital is one of five highly specialised infectious diseases units capable of dealing with this illness.
“You should not be concerned – there is no risk to other patients and visitors.
“All of our services are operating as usual. If you have a hospital appointment, please attend this as planned.”
The two patients taken unwell are being treated in the Royal Victoria Infirmary’s High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID) unit, which has specialist areas where patients can be isolated to ensure infectious diseases are not spread further.
There are specific areas where staff can change in and out of protective clothing and equipment, while patient isolation rooms have tightly controlled air flow and filtering.
In severe cases of infection for patients, treatment can include life support such as the use of a ventilator, dialysis to support the kidneys and artificial hydration or nutrition.
Eagle eyed readers are questioning why the driver of the coach, which is transferring passengers on the evacuation flight from Wuhan to the UK to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, is not wearing any protective clothing.
The driver, in a high-vis jacket, is next to a medic who is wearing a full Hazmat suit including a helmet with a visor.
Passengers on the evacuation flight from Wuhan to the UK have been speaking to the media.Passengers on the evacuation flight from Wuhan to the UK have been speaking to the media.
The eighty-three British passengers who landed at at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire earlier today are now being transferred by coach to an accommodation block at Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, monitored and treated if any symptoms develop. The 83 British passengers who landed at at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire earlier today are now being transferred by coach to an accommodation block at Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, monitored and treated if any symptoms develop.
The remaining 27 passengers, all non-UK nationals, will then be flown on to Spain.The remaining 27 passengers, all non-UK nationals, will then be flown on to Spain.
James Convey told Sky News from the plane: “It was quite a positive atmosphere to be honest, everyone was relieved to get out of China. James Convey told Sky News from the plane: “It was quite a positive atmosphere to be honest. Everyone was relieved to get out of China.
“There were a lot of obstacles for a lot of people to get on that plane and a lot of us overcame those obstacles with the help of the British and Chinese authorities.“There were a lot of obstacles for a lot of people to get on that plane and a lot of us overcame those obstacles with the help of the British and Chinese authorities.
“We’re all very relieved to be back in the UK.“We’re all very relieved to be back in the UK.
“It was a very tight turnaround. We had about 1.5 hours’ notice to get to Wuhan airport, all the transport was locked down, the roads were closed. “It was a very tight turnaround. We had about 1.5 hours’ notice to get to Wuhan airport. All the transport was locked down. The roads were closed.
“But my mother-in-law managed to call in a few favours... amazingly we did get there on time. “But my mother-in-law managed to call in a few favours … amazingly we did get there on time.
“I think there’s probably a lot of people who didn’t... but also there was lots of people on the flight.” “I think there’s probably a lot of people who didn’t … but also there were lots of people on the flight.”
A plan to evacuate Australians stranded in China is likely to go ahead over the weekend, the AAP news agency is reporting.A plan to evacuate Australians stranded in China is likely to go ahead over the weekend, the AAP news agency is reporting.
Evacuees will be flown out of China on a Qantas passenger plane and could leave Wuhan in the early hours of Monday morning.Evacuees will be flown out of China on a Qantas passenger plane and could leave Wuhan in the early hours of Monday morning.
A scheduled Qantas plane leaving Sydney for Hong Kong on Friday night will stay there waiting for the green light from Chinese officials to enter Wuhan.A scheduled Qantas plane leaving Sydney for Hong Kong on Friday night will stay there waiting for the green light from Chinese officials to enter Wuhan.
Evacuees will be flown back to Darwin first before being transported on to Christmas Island in smaller aircraft where they will be met by medical specialists who have spent the weekend preparing a quarantine facility on the island. Evacuees will be flown back to Darwin first before being transported on to Christmas Island in smaller aircraft where they will be met by medical specialists who have spent the weekend preparing a quarantine facility.
The nation’s top health bureaucrats have not yet recommended suspending all flights from China but the Transport Workers Union is calling on the government to do so.The nation’s top health bureaucrats have not yet recommended suspending all flights from China but the Transport Workers Union is calling on the government to do so.
This is Nazia Parveen taking over the live blog from Manchester now. As usual, please send me any coronavirus-related information, tips, questions or stories that you think we should be covering and I’ll do my best to get them in. You can reach me via email at nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or via my Twitter profile, @NParveenGThis is Nazia Parveen taking over the live blog from Manchester now. As usual, please send me any coronavirus-related information, tips, questions or stories that you think we should be covering and I’ll do my best to get them in. You can reach me via email at nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or via my Twitter profile, @NParveenG
Patrick Graham, one of the British citizens evacuated from Wuhan, shared footage of the plane touching down at RAF Brize Norton.Patrick Graham, one of the British citizens evacuated from Wuhan, shared footage of the plane touching down at RAF Brize Norton.
He joked with his social media followers: “The infected are coming,” before adding: “Thank you staff wamosair for getting us home – they also have to go into a period of quarantine for bringing us home.”He joked with his social media followers: “The infected are coming,” before adding: “Thank you staff wamosair for getting us home – they also have to go into a period of quarantine for bringing us home.”
He shared a screenshot of the news the UK has confirmed two cases of the deadly virus and wrote: “Please don’t blame us … we have only just landed.”He shared a screenshot of the news the UK has confirmed two cases of the deadly virus and wrote: “Please don’t blame us … we have only just landed.”
The Unite union has released a statement saying the welfare of staff at Arrowe Park hospital, where those travelling from China are being quarantined, needs to be a top priority.The Unite union has released a statement saying the welfare of staff at Arrowe Park hospital, where those travelling from China are being quarantined, needs to be a top priority.
Unite has more than 1,000 members at the Wirral University teaching hospital NHS foundation trust, which includes the hospital. Its regional officer Derek Jones said:Unite has more than 1,000 members at the Wirral University teaching hospital NHS foundation trust, which includes the hospital. Its regional officer Derek Jones said:
These are the first pictures of the chartered passenger jet carrying 83 British nationals repatriated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, as it lands at RAF Brize Norton in Charterton, west of London, this afternoon.These are the first pictures of the chartered passenger jet carrying 83 British nationals repatriated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, as it lands at RAF Brize Norton in Charterton, west of London, this afternoon.
British nationals who have returned to the UK are to be transported to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral where accommodation has been arranged to keep them in quarantine for two weeks - the expected incubation period of any potential infection.British nationals who have returned to the UK are to be transported to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral where accommodation has been arranged to keep them in quarantine for two weeks - the expected incubation period of any potential infection.
The military medical personnel who have been aboard the flight for the evacuation will also be placed in quarantine, but at a separate military facility, Sky News reports.The military medical personnel who have been aboard the flight for the evacuation will also be placed in quarantine, but at a separate military facility, Sky News reports.
After Britons have disembarked, the jet is due to continue on to Spain, where the home countries of European Union citizens will take responsibility for the remaining 27 passengers.After Britons have disembarked, the jet is due to continue on to Spain, where the home countries of European Union citizens will take responsibility for the remaining 27 passengers.
Two people in Siberia have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first confirmed cases of the disease in Russia since the outbreak began in neighbouring China last month, Andrew Roth, the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent reports.
Two Chinese citizens who had fallen ill in Russia tested positive for the disease, the deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova said on Friday. The cases were discovered in opposite ends of Siberia, in the Transbaikal and Tyumen regions. Officials said the two people had been isolated and there was “no chance” of the disease spreading in Russia.
Russia announced it would take measures to evacuate its citizens from the Wuhan area of China and also limit flights to the country. Russia on Thursday closed 16 of its land border crossings with China, while allowing the continued transit of freight and mail.
On Friday, Russia said that it would begin evacuating 300 of its citizens from Wuhan and 341 from the province of Hubei, the area hardest hit by the outbreak.
Russia simultaneously announced the cancellation of most regional flights to and from China, while maintaining several routes operated by Aeroflot and Chinese flights arriving into Moscow.
Golikova also said the Russian government would wait until Monday to make a final decision on whether to hold or cancel the Sochi Investment Forum, a business junket usually attended by Vladimir Putin.
The plane carrying Britons to the UK from Wuhan in China has landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
Eighty-three British passengers on the delayed Wamos Air Boeing 747 will be taken by coach to an accommodation block at Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, where they will be quarantined for 14 days, monitored and treated if any symptoms develop. The remaining 27 passengers, all non-UK nationals, will then be flown on to Spain.
The new coronavirus has been confirmed in a child in Germany, the southern state of Bavaria said on Friday, bringing the total number of known cases in Germany to six.
The new case is a child of an employee at the same firm where four more individuals in the Munich area were infected, the state health ministry said in a statement. All affected people are in stable condition, the ministry said.
The Global Times, the English-language mouthpiece of China’s Communist party, has published a propaganda video depicting drones equipped with speakers urging people to wear masks and stay inside.
It is not clear the extent to which these drones have actually been rolled out across the country.
China has won international plaudits for a huge mobilisation against the virus, writes Emma Graham-Harrison, including the near-impossible feat of building two new hospitals in as many weeks. But …
Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has resisted pressure to completely shut down the border with mainland China, saying it was not the answer to stem the spread of a virus, AP reports:
Russia has reported its first two cases of coronavirus. Russia’s deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova told reporters the infected people were Chinese citizens who had been isolated.
Golikova also said all direct flights to China from Russia would be halted from 9pm GMT on Friday, with the exception of national airline Aeroflot.
More than 9,800 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed as of Friday evening in Beijing, according to a report by the Associated Press.
China: 9,692 cases on the mainland. In addition, Hong Kong has 12 cases and Macau has five. Most of the 213 deaths have been in central Hubei province, where illnesses from the new type of coronavirus were first detected in December.
Thailand: 19
Japan: 14
Singapore: 13
Taiwan: 9
Malaysia: 8
Australia: 7
South Korea: 11
France: 6
Vietnam: 5
United States: 6
Germany: 5
Canada: 3
United Arab Emirates: 4
Italy: 2
United Kingdom: 2
India: 1
Philippines: 1
Finland: 1
Nepal: 1
Cambodia: 1
Sri Lanka: 1
India’s first coronavirus patient has been moved to hospital, where her condition is said to be improving, according to a report on the Indian news site NDTV.
More than 1,000 people in various parts of Kerala, on the south-west tip of India, are under observation for suspected cases of coronavirus, with 15 in isolation wards in various hospitals, according to the broadcaster.
Authorities were attempting to contact all the passengers who travelled on a flight from Kolkata to Cochin on 23 January the infected patient had been on, a day after she travelled from Beijing.
Foreign Office sources said they were aware of the frustrations of some Britons in Wuhan, particularly those who had wanted to but proved unable to board a plane, Dan Sabbagh reports.
They said the complicated situation on the ground and sometimes difficult working relationship with the Chinese authorities made it hard to communicate effectively with those who were hoping to be evacuated.
The number of Britons stranded in the Wuhan region is estimated at about 40. Only 83 of the anticipated 120 were able to board the emergency flight; the rest will be able to fly home on a subsequent plane, although it is not clear when that will leave.
Officials said consular staff made considerable efforts to get people on the flight. The chartered plane was delayed on the tarmac for a further three hours to try to get people onboard, but British officials said it had to leave within the overall time slot provided by China.
Confusion about whether the Chinese would let families of mixed British and Chinese nationality also complicated the picture, with the UK saying it was only at the last minute that Beijing relented and said Chinese passport holders could fly to the UK with their British family members.