Third patient in UK did not catch deadly bug in China
THE third UK coronavirus patient did not catch the deadly disease in China, officials revealed yesterday.
The person is believed to be the first British national infected, with unconfirmed reports it is a man in his 40s or early 50s who had travelled from Singapore.
He was reportedly diagnosed Brighton before being moved to infectious diseases unit in London.
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, did not confirm what country the patient had travelled from.
But he said NHS doctors will now test for coronavirus in patients who have recently returned from a wider pool of countries in Asia.
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Prof Whitty told a press conference in London yesterday: “The person who caught this did not catch it in China, they caught it elsewhere in Asia.
“That’s an important point because while it’s absolutely the case that by far the biggest risk remains in China, nevertheless there is now evidence of some limited transmission in a number of Asian countries.
“If a doctor in the NHS sees a patient who has travelled from Asia, now they will start thinking about testing from a wider geographical area than would have been the case before, so we are shifting geography for NHS doctors to test.
“We knew this might well happen and this is the moment where we feel it’s prudent, to make this shift.”
The patient is being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’, one of five NHS specialised infectious disease units. It is thought he was transported from the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton.
The Department of Health did not confirm whether the patient is a British national. Health officials are working to trace anyone who came into contact with the person.
A total of 563 people have tested negative for the virus in the UK so far.
Two others who tested positive – a Chinese student at the University of York and a relative – are still being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary infectious diseases centre in Newcastle.
Prof Whitty said the epidemic shows no signs of slowing down, with the number of cases in China still doubling every five days.
Official Chinese figures yesterday said the coronavirus has killed 563 people and infected more than 28,000.
The majority of those killed were aged over 60 or had a pre-existing health condition.
The Government’s latest advice says: “Officers are advising anyone who has travelled to the UK from China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing a cough or shortness of breath, to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.”