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Two people in Britain test positive for coronavirus Two people in Britain test positive for coronavirus
(32 minutes later)
Chief medical officer says two patients from same family have been found to have the virus Chief medical officer says two patients from same family are being treated in Newcastle
Two members of the same family in the UK have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, England’s chief medical officer has confirmed.Two members of the same family in the UK have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, England’s chief medical officer has confirmed.
Cases in the UK had long been expected. The virus has already spread to 18 other countries outside China.Cases in the UK had long been expected. The virus has already spread to 18 other countries outside China.
The Department of Health declined to say where in England the patients were from but they were not in the Wirral area, where a special facility has been set up to quarantine Britons evacuated from Wuhan in China. The chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty said the two patients were being treated at a hospital in Newcastle.
“We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus,” said the chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty. “We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus,” Whitty said earlier.
“The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.“The NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.
“We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately. We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities.”“We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately. We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities.”
On Wednesday night, an apartment-hotel in Yorkshire was put on lockdown when a man, understood to be a Chinese national, was taken to hospital after falling ill.The man, who was a guest at the Staycity Hotel in the centre of York, was taken to hospital, together with family members, by medics. Medical chiefs declined to give any detail on the condition of the two patients confirmed to have the virus, including where they are from and if they had travelled to the UK from China, citing patient confidentiality.
There are four airborne high consequences infectious disease centres (HCIDs) in England which are specially equipped to receive people with illnesses such as coronavirus. The director for national infection service at Public Health England, Prof Sharon Peacock, said: “We were able to stand up an outbreak investigation team immediately and that team is working now, and what they’ll be doing is aiming to contact everybody who has been in contact with these two cases and prevent onward transmission.”
These are Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust, Royal Free London NHS foundation trust, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen university hospitals NHS trust, and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS foundation trust. Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary is one of the UK’s high-consequence infectious disease units, where people can be nursed in isolation. The two main such units are at Newcastle and at the Royal Free in London, but there are others in London and Liverpool.
More details soon … The chief medical officers for the four countries of the UK had raised the risk level from low to moderate on Thursday evening in the wake of the World Health Organization declaring coronavirus to be an international emergency.
The UK has been on high alert for weeks, however, with more than 160 people tested for the virus and proving negative.
In recent days, ambulance workers and paramedics have been seen in protective suits in a number of places. A man was reportedly removed from a budget hotel in York by health workers in full protective suits and taken to a hospital isolation unit. Another was taken away from student accommodation in London. The University of Bristol said that one person had been admitted to hospital with symptoms as a precaution.
The UK has long had comprehensive plans in place for dealing with the arrival of the Wuhan coronavirus. It also has a good track record. Several cases of Mers – Middle East respiratory syndrome, which is also caused by a coronavirus – have been diagnosed in the past in travellers and in two healthcare workers who were infected by patients before anyone realised they had the virus. All were nursed in hospital infectious disease units and recovered.
On Wednesday night, an apartment-hotel in Yorkshire was put on lockdown when a man, understood to be a Chinese national, was taken to hospital after falling ill. The man, who was a guest at the Staycity hotel in the centre of York, was taken to hospital, together with family members, by medics.
Prof Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: “The report of the first two cases diagnosed positive for 2019-nCoV in the UK is not surprising and was almost inevitable. The chief medical officer’s statement gives no information on where these two members of the same family acquired their infection. The two cases are members of the same family but no information has been released about whether both cases will have been infected simultaneously or whether one would have passed the infection to the other.
“The NHS is well able to nurse people with this novel coronavirus as it has successfully and safely managed a number of cases of both Sars and Mers in the past. With the information available it is not possible to judge what risk if any there may be of spread within the community.”
Reacting to the news Prof John Edmunds, from the Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “This event, whilst unwelcome, is not surprising. However, the UK authorities have been preparing for this for some time, and it seems as if appropriate measures are being taken to limit onward spread.”
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton said: “The UK cases are unsurprising to see. Given the spread to other European and North American countries, it was really only a matter of time until the UK ended up with confirmed cases.
“Hopefully, as seen elsewhere, the case numbers will be very limited. The key concern will be if there is significant human to human transmission.”