The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Expert says more people in UK may have to self-isolate
● Warning comes as 80 quarantined Britons allowed to leave hospital
Many more people in the UK may need to self-isolate in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, the chief executive of the NHS has said.
Sir Simon Stevens issued the warning as more than 80 people quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral were allowed to leave following 14 days in isolation.
The group were the first to be flown out of Wuhan city in China – the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We may have it in Europe and then UK in due course”
Sir Simon said: “As our first group of guests leaves Arrowe Park Hospital, we want to thank them for the highly responsible, pragmatic and stoical way they have played their part in keeping both themselves and others safe.
“They have set an important example, recognising that over the coming weeks many more of us may need to self-isolate at home for a period to reduce this virus’s spread.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said those quarantined had been given a clean bill of health and people “can be reassured that their departure presents no risk to the public”.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Matt Raw, 38, from Knutsford, Cheshire, shouted “we’re free – and the sun’s shining” as he left Arrowe Park.
He said: “Some good fresh air and very, very, very happy that all 83 of us have tested negative for the virus and I guess now back to business as usual.”
It comes as England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said officials were working on delaying the spread of coronavirus cases throughout the UK.
He said what happens with coronavirus – also known as Covid-19 – could go one of two ways, with the first scenario seeing the Chinese government getting on top of the epidemic and then a limited impact on the rest of the world.
While it is “highly likely” the UK will see more cases, it is possible the epidemic will go away, possibly aided by a change in the seasons which could dampen the spread of the virus, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Prof Whitty said: “The alternative is that it’s not possible to contain in China and this then starts to spread around the world and then unless the seasons come to our rescue, then it is going to come to a situation where we have it in Europe and the UK in due course.”
Prof Whitty said the current UK strategy was focused on containment of individual cases, followed by delaying the spread.
He said: “Delay is the next stage because if we are going to get an outbreak in the UK, putting it back in time into the summer period – away from winter pressures on the NHS, buying us a bit more time to understand the virus better, possibly having some seasonal advantage – is a big advantage.”
On Wednesday evening, the UK’s ninth case of cornavirus was confirmed in London.
The unnamed woman contracted the virus in China before flying to the UK. Yesterday, it emerged she had turned up unannounced at a hospital in an Uber taxi after falling ill.
Two staff from Lewisham Hospital in south London are now in isolation at home after coming into contact with the woman.
In China, the number of deaths from coronavirus jumped to more than 1,350, with more than 60,000 recorded infections, as senior figures in Hubei province were dismissed amid criticism over the handling of the outbreak.