As more Britons fly back...race is on to find 480 in UK from Wuhan
MEDICS are racing to find and check 480 visitors to Britain from the Chinese epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic for signs of the deadly infection.
The hunt came as the death toll from 14,380 confirmed cases of infection rose to 304 on Saturday.
China saw a record 2,590 new cases in one day and the first victim to die from the virus outside China has been confirmed in the Philippines.
The World Health Organisation has declared the coronavirus crisis a global emergency.
Yesterday, a plane flew another 11 British citizens back from Wuhan, in Hubei province, where the virus first emerged, along with several other nationals from Europe.
The bid to track those who flew into Britain from Wuhan between January 10 and 24 came as the first two UK cases – both family members from China – were being treated in Newcastle upon Tyne.
One patient is a student at York University, who authorities said had not been on campus since being exposed to the virus.
A Catch It, Bin It, Kill It advertising campaign has been launched by the Government, showing how people can reduce their risk of catching the virus.
The advert says: “Germs can live
on some surfaces for hours. Make sure to protect yourself and others by always using a tissue and washing your hands thoroughly.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said UK medics were working “round the clock” to prevent the spread of the illness.
But he stressed: “Basic hygiene such as washing our hands regularly and using tissues when we cough and sneeze can play an important role in minimising the spread of viruses like this.” The
number infected worldwide has overtaken the 2002-03 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic.
Sars broke out in southern China.
Public Health England said
1,561 air passengers and crew came to the UK on direct flights from Wuhan from January 10-24. Of them, 480 have yet to be traced. A spokesman said: “Public Health England are working to contact the remaining passengers.” The UK risk level for the virus is currently moderate, after being upgraded last week from low.
The second batch of evacuees brought back to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire were taken by bus to Merseyside last night. They will spend 14 days in quarantine and will join another 83 Britons already in isolation at the Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
Meanwhile, a former British soldier who is stuck in Wuhan slammed “shameful” British authorities for telling him to leave his wife behind, then not informing him of the second flight out.
Furious Steffan Atherton, 47, said he was at first instructed to leave his Peruvian wife, Diana Buelot, 27, behind and return to the UK with his two-month-old son, Danny.
Then he was told his wife would get a visa, but claims he was not informed of the second evacuation.
Mr Atherton, a teacher from the Wirral, said: “We felt let down when they refused the visa for my
wife. I’ve invested in my country as much as anyone else.
“I paid my taxes and served my country for eight years, but they’ve not been supportive.
“I had the horrible decision to make: to leave my wife in China to protect my baby, or, do we stick together?
“If we all stick together and Danny gets infected, would it be something I regretted for the rest of my life?
“Our main fear at the moment is if Danny got ill, or if one of us got ill and had to go to a Chinese hospital.
“Expecting expats to leave their families at risk to catch the virus is downright shameful.” Meanwhile,
China was being increasingly isolated yesterday, as more countries introduced flight bans.
Around two dozen other nations and regions have reported more than 130 cases of coronavirus, including 23 in Europe.
The only fatality outside China is in the Philippines, where a 44-yearold Chinese man from Wuhan is reported to have died.
His female companion, 38, who is also from Wuhan, tested positive for the virus and is in isolation at a Manila hospital.
Authorities in the Philippines are trying to contact everyone who flew on the same planes as the pair when they arrived from Hong Kong on January 21.