Coronavirus: 'Crucial' to trace origin of latest UK case to keep outbreak under control
There are now 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK, with 18 in England plus one each in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Saturday 29 February 2020 14:14, UK
It is "crucial" to find out how the first person who caught the coronavirus within the UK was exposed to it, say experts, as authorities race to piece together their movements.
News of the infection came on Friday evening and is a significant moment in the country's battle to stop the coronavirus spreading from the current 20 cases.
Previous UK cases had all been infected overseas.
It comes amid reports the government is to use a Cobra meeting on Monday to agree emergency powers to ensure COVID-19 does not get out of control.
Schools, councils and other institutions would be able to suspend some laws to cope with a pandemic. The measures could also include allowing teachers and nursery workers to have larger classes to cope with staff absences.
"Contact tracing" has started on the latest coronavirus patient, said England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.
He said it was not clear whether the patient had contracted it "directly or indirectly" from someone who had recently returned from abroad.
The patient, who lives in Surrey, has been taken to a specialist centre at Guy's and St Thomas' in London.
Haslemere Health Centre was closed yesterday, with a statement on its website saying: "The surgery is temporarily closed today to enable a clean of the surgery as a routine precautionary measure."
The surgery has since re-opened.
Sky News' Enda Brady, who is at Guy's and St Thomas', said: "Of the 20 cases in the UK, medical experts are really fascinated by this one man because they want to find out just how he has ended up with coronavirus given that he has not been on holidays, he has not travelled abroad, he has not left the UK. He has got the virus this week, somewhere in England."
Health minister Edward Agar has refused to comment on reports that the patient has passed the virus on to their doctor.
He said that "we are still looking into the details of that case" adding: "I have not been briefed on anything beyond the detail that the chief medical officer and others have given me about this individual case."
And he told Sky News there is no plan to put on a plane to bring home British people released from quarantine at a hotel in Tenerife.
The total number of cases in England is now 18, plus one each in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said the latest case marked a "new chapter" as there was "no known link to an affected area or known case".
"It will be crucial to understand where the infection came from to try to prevent more extensive spread," he said.
He warned the virus "can easily go under the radar" because its symptoms are very similar to a cold or mild flu.
A virus expert from the University of Leeds said the first person-to person transmission was "only a matter of time".
"What now becomes critically important is our ability to identify, isolate and care for infected individuals, and to trace their recent contacts," said Dr Stephen Griffin.
He said that small, localised outbreaks might increase in the UK in coming weeks - but it's vital they are contained to keep the situation manageable.
"If we experience a burgeoning epidemic as seen in South Korea it will represent a significant challenge to our already stretched NHS and public health infrastructure," Dr Griffin added.
In other coronavirus developments:
- More than £200bn wiped off FTSE share index over virus fears
- South Korea warns of "critical moment" and tells people to stay indoors this weekend
- 85,406 suspected and confirmed cases worldwide, with 2,924 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the disease
- Mexico, Iceland and Nigeria among nations to confirm first cases on Friday
- Some UK tourists allowed to leave locked-down Tenerife hotel but Jet2 will not yet fly them home
- California confirms second case in person who had not travelled or had contact with an infected patient
Four new cases in the UK were confirmed yesterday.
Two new patients in England were revealed to have contracted the virus in Iran and were transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The first case in Wales was also confirmed yesterday - the patient had returned from northern Italy.
Boris Johnson, who will chair a COBRA meeting on Monday has been accused of being slow to act over the outbreak, but he insisted it was Downing Street's "top priority".
The PM said people are "right to be concerned" about the spread of COVID-19, but the "best advice" to prevent wider spread is to wash your hands with hot water and soap.
Mr Argar told Sky News that it won't be the first Cobra meeting to focus on coronavirus, but previous meetings had been chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate but the risk to individuals is said to remain low.
Meanwhile, a British man in his 70s who was on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has become the first UK fatality of the coronavirus.
The victim had been receiving treatment in hospital.
He has so far not been named.
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Six people from the ship have now died, with the British man, who was not a resident of the UK, being the first foreign passenger to lose their life.
The Foreign Office is advising against travel to China, South Korea, Iran and northern Italy, locations where the epidemic is most severe.
The World Health Organisation said the outbreak is "getting bigger" as more countries report their first cases.
It has now raised the risk level to its maximum of "very high", meaning an "immediate response" - within hours - is required as soon as a case is suspected.
However new cases in China, where the virus began, are continuing to slow.
On Saturday it reported 427 new cases and 47 deaths over the past 24 hours. Most were confined to the city of Wuhan and the surrounding province.
But South Korea - the second worst-hit country - reported its biggest daily jump so far with 594 new cases.
Officials warned of a "critical moment" in the coronavirus battle and urged citizens to stay indoors on Saturday as total cases hit 2,931.
"Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimise contact with other people," said vice health minister Kim Kang-lip.
World Health Organisation spokesman Christian Lindmeier also said it was looking into reports of some people getting re-infected, which would include reviewing how tests were taken.