Published 16:41 IST, February 13th 2020
UK declares 'serious & imminent threat' to public amid increasing coronavirus cases
More cases of novel coronavirus are highly likely to be seen in UK coming from all over the world, a senior health official said to the international media.
More cases of novel coronavirus are highly likely to be seen in UK coming from all over the world, a senior health official said to the international media. Paul Cosford, from Public Health England, told the media that his teams were putting best efforts to contain the spread of the virus. Many countries in worldwide has raised concerns about new cases brought in by people travelling from abroad. Twelve patients who were treated by two Brighton GPs diagnosed with coronavirus have now being contacted by health officials.
83 people quarantined in UK
According to the reports, 83 people have been quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral after being jetted off from China. A total of 1,750 people have tested negative for the deadly virus in the UK, with eight testing positive. Cosford said that there is a huge threat to UK and added that if China fails to take effective efforts then the virus may pose a threat to other countries as well. This could increase the risk of more widespread infection in the UK, he said. He further added that the main aim should be identifying the people quickly, tracing the close contacts of the infection and keeping them in isolation under observation.
Over 1300 dead in China
The death toll due to the coronavirus outbreak in China has reached at least 1,369 as the number of fatalities in Hubei — the Chinese province at the centre of the epidemic — more than doubled to 242. The province also reported 14,840 new cases as it revised the method for counting infections. This brings the total number of cases in China to 60,374. Hubei province said it carried out a review of past suspected cases, and revised its data to include “clinically diagnosed" cases in its daily disclosure. Of the 16,067 new cases, 13,332 are from the new category, while of the 242 new deaths, 135 are from the new category. Wednesday's report marked the highest infection and death count in a single day since the outbreak began.
Updated 16:41 IST, February 13th 2020