‘Holiday camp’ feel for returning Britons
The pilot is the brainchild of Dr Laurence John, an infectious diseases expert at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow.
He told the British Medical Journal: “Very quickly we realised that transporting people to hospital for testing was going to be very inefficient.
“Most of these patients were actually quite well. We were not seeing very sick patients.
“These were people that would normally be seen in primary care.
“So we tried to think of another way to do it. The idea of home visits came from there, and then it was just a case of working out a protocol.
“We have now shown that it can be done, so the next step is getting the community teams involved.”
A total of 5,885 people have now been tested for the virus in the UK, as of 2pm yesterday.
Nine were confirmed the rest negative.
Prof Willett, the NHS strategic incident director for coronavirus, positive and
Passengers on board a bus leaving the Diamond Princess yesterday
DOZENS of Britons who have spent more than two weeks trapped on a cruise ship in Japan are gearing up for their return home this weekend.
A repatriation flight for those quarantined on the Diamond Princess was expected to depart in the early hours of this morning.
The passengers are due to land at Boscombe Down Ministry of Defence base in Wiltshire. Only
added: “People should also play their part by following public health advice.
“Wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze, and put used tissues in the bin immediately.”
He also paid tribute to the NHS staff at The Wirral’s Arrowe Park Hospital. The facility is being used to quarantine suspects and is now ready to receive Britons returning from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
He thanked them for “excellent care and support”. their those without symptoms will board the plane, and all will be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral for 14 days of quarantine.
Honeymooner Alan Steele, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 and has since been given the all-clear, joked that the experience will be like visiting a holiday camp. He was taken to a Japanese hospital but later tested negative and has since been reunited with his wife, Wendy. He quipped on Facebook: “Butlins the Wirral here we come.”
A total of 634 passengers and crew have been infected, more than half of all the confirmed cases outside of China.
Four Britons who tested positive will not be on the flight.