Campus gripped by corona terror
Chinese student at top university – and his mother – are UK’s first cases of killer virus
STUDENTS at one of Britain’s most prestigious universities found themselves under the shadow of the global coronavirus outbreak last night after one tested positive for the virus.
A male student and his mother – both Chinese – became the first two cases to be confirmed in Britain, leaving students and staff at the University of York, part of the elite Russell Group, feeling ‘very, very frightened’. The pair were taken ill at a budget hotel in the city centre on Wednesday night and were last night being cared for in a special NHS isolation unit in Newcastle.
The University of York emailed students telling them that while the news would cause ‘concern and anxiety’, the risk of infection was low. But tensions on the campus were evident in a Facebook post and email from ten days ago that raised concerns about a Chinese student with ‘a fever’.
The university said that incident had been investigated and was not connected with the recent case.
As the official death toll in China from the virus rose to 294, the UK Government launched an urgent public information campaign. People were advised to ‘carry tissues’ to cover coughs or sneezes in nationwide advertisements.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘Our world-class NHS is well prepared to manage these types of incidents. We are doing everything we can to protect the public.’
His attempt to reassure the public came as:
It emerged there are fewer than 30 special isolation beds in hospitals designed for quarantines such as the coronavirus;
The Foreign Office said it was withdrawing staff from China and its ability to provide help to Britons in the country may be ‘limited’;
A second airlift evacuation of Britons trapped in Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the virus, was imminent;
The US government declared a ‘public health emergency’, banning foreign nationals who have travelled to China from entering;
Australia and Israel followed suit, flouting World Health Organisation advice that such measures were not necessary;
Vietnam halted all air travel to China while Italy became the first EU country to ban incoming flights.
A spokesman for York University said the student diagnosed with coronavirus – who had been with his mother at the £71-a-night Staycity apartment-hotel – was not believed to have come into contact with anyone on campus while they had symptoms. Health chiefs confirmed on Friday that both had both tested positive.
The university advised people concerned about their health to call 111. It also set up its own call centre. A spokesman said: ‘Our immediate concerns are for the affected student and family, along with the health and continued wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors.’
But The Mail on Sunday yesterday found that students – many wearing surgical facemasks – were extremely concerned. One 19-yearold undergraduate said: ‘I cannot stop thinking about this and it is totally freaking me out.’
Students had recently celebrated the Chinese New Year at a special gala event held at York’s Barbican centre, close to the Staycity hotel.
A male student said: ‘This is all anyone has been talking about. We are very worried.’
Public health officials were continuing to seek people who had close contact – defined as being within two metres for 15 minutes – with the infected pair.
Staff at the Staycity said the mother and student checked in on Wednesday, but the man had fallen ill and called an ambulance. Hotel manager Nasser Shaher sought to calm guests, including one who recently underwent chemotherapy and was worried about her weakened immune system. Mr Shaher said he had been told by officials that the risk was ‘minimal’ and the apartment involved had been thoroughly disinfected.
Meanwhile, Oxford University mathematician Dr Robin Thompson, who specialises in infectious diseases, forecast a one-in-three chance of a coronavirus outbreak in the UK. His calculations are based on an estimate that 20 per cent of new Wuhan coronavirus infections are passed on by those not exhibiting symptoms. The other factor is how long the two diagnosed here were symptomatic before seeking medical help.
In China it has typically been a couple of days and Dr Thompson said that in those circumstances, the risk of a ‘sustained transmission chain’ arising from the pair was about 37 per cent.
The Foreign Office yesterday announced it was withdrawing some staff from China and warned its ability to provide help to Britons in the country may be ‘limited’. UK Ministers said another plane will be sent to Wuhan to rescue British citizens if needed.
Chris Hill, 38, from Sunderland who remained in Wuhan instead of leaving his Chinese wife behind, said: ‘She is a nurse and is not able to get the time off and will not abandon her parents. I am not willing to leave her behind and take my daughter.’
Adam Bridgeman, 33, and his Chinese wife Su and son Austin missed Friday’s flight out of Wuhan. He fears food may soon run out. ‘The main concern then is that Austin will need some medical attention,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to go to a hospital because of the virus. Most shops are shut. The variety of food we have access to is noticeably reducing.’