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Two people in Britain test positive for coronavirus Two people in Britain test positive for coronavirus
(about 4 hours later)
Chief medical officer says two patients from same family are being treated in NewcastleChief 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 a family in the UK have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus and are being treated at a hospital in Newcastle.
England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said: “We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.”
It is understood that the pair travelled to the UK from China recently and are believed to be Chinese nationals. They are undergoing treatment at the specialist Airborne High Consequence Infectious Diseases Centre in Newcastle.
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 chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty said the two patients were being treated at a hospital in Newcastle. The pair had been at the StayCity apartment hotel in York when they became ill. A StayCity spokesman said: “We have been advised by Public Health England that there is minimal ongoing risk of infection to either guests or staff, and as such our York property remains open for business. The apartment concerned will undergo a thorough environmental clean and disinfection by a specialist contractor.”
“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. Public Health England (PHE) is urgently trying to trace anyone who came into contact with the two people. It said steps would be taken to reduce the risk to the public and it was “identifying the areas where there is deemed to be a risk”.
“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. Guests were continuing to check in for weekend breaks in York on Friday. Outside the hotel, two guests told the Guardian that as recently as Friday morning they had been told by reception staff that reports that two tourists had been taken ill from their apartment on Wednesday were “lies”.
“This morning they said it was a lie and not to listen to it,” said Andy Neale, 21, who was staying at StayCity for the night with his girlfriend. “It’s not ideal. They should’ve taken some precaution.”
He said the incident had marred the couple’s getaway. “My girlfriend is stressing out, she’s using hand wipes on everything.”
A family who were staying in the hotel on a visit from Asia to see their daughter, who is a student in York, said they had been told the reports of cases were “false information”.
Earlier, Whitty said: “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.”
Medical chiefs declined to give any detail on the condition of the two patients, including where they are from and if they had travelled to the UK from China, citing patient confidentiality. The chief medical officers for the four countries of the UK raised the risk level from low to moderate on Thursday evening in the wake of the WHO declaring coronavirus to be an international emergency. The UK has been on high alert for days, with 177 people tested for the virus, of whom 175 proved negative.
The director of the 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.” In recent days ambulance workers and paramedics have been seen in protective suits in a number of places. As well as the York incident, a man was taken away from student accommodation in London. The University of Bristol said one person admitted to hospital with symptoms as a precaution had been discharged, cleared of coronavirus.
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. The UK 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.
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 WHO declaring coronavirus to be an international emergency. Paul Hunter, a 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 UK has been on high alert for weeks, however, with 177 people tested for the virus and 175 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. 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.
Another was taken away from student accommodation in London. The University of Bristol said one person who had been admitted to hospital with symptoms as a precaution had been discharged, cleared of coronavirus.
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.
Prof Paul Hunter, a 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.”“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.” 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, a 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. Dr Michael Head, a 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.”
“Hopefully, as seen elsewhere, the case numbers will be very limited. The key concern will be if there is significant human to human transmission.”