Scientists hope vaccine is just weeks away as fears over transmission grow

Carriers of virus could be passing it on before they even know they are ill, research has revealed

CORONAVIRUS could spread before symptoms begin to show in patients, scientists have suggested, as British researchers say a vaccine breakthrough could be just weeks away.

Travellers who have returned to the UK from Wuhan, China, the centre of the outbreak, have been advised to remain inside if they feel unwell.

There have yet to be any confirmed cases in the UK, which is one of the first countries to have a specific test for the disease outside China, but its arrival is feared to be inevitable.

British authorities hope to head off a potential public health crisis by asking those concerned they may be infected to consult their GP on the phone, rather than visit the surgery.

However, scientists concluded that it “appears possible” that the virus can be spread before the carrier notices any symptoms of the disease, meaning an outbreak in the UK may prove challenging to contain.

Their conclusion came after six members of a family who arrived at a hospital in Hong Kong with unexplained pneumonia – which coronavirus can bring about – had their medical tests analysed in research published by The Lancet.

A separate study found that sustained human-to-human spread was “the only plausible explanation” for the scale of the outbreak.

Previously, Chinese authorities and the World Health Organisation insisted that the majority of cases of coronavirus, which has been linked to a market selling live animals, had jumped into humans from animals.

But the first modelling study to examine the virus’s transmission found that each infected person passed it on to an average of 2.6 others.

This raises the possibility that an outbreak will only be controlled if onward transmission is blocked in well over 60 per cent of cases.

“We need to plan for the possibility that containment of this epidemic isn’t possible,” said Neil Ferguson, a disease outbreak scientist at Imperial College London who led the research.

Yesterday, Professor Robin Shattock, from Imperial College London, said his team had “two vaccine candidates” from a genetic sequence of coronavirus provided by Chinese scientists.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the vaccines would be ready for use in “animal models” by the middle of next month and they were ready to “rapidly move those into human studies” if required.

Meanwhile, efforts are continuing to track down around 2,000 people who have flown back to the UK from Wuhan – with airlines and the Border Force helping the Government to contact passengers. It is unclear how many have been located since returning from the region in the past two weeks.

A dedicated UK Public Health rapid support team set is on standby to help control the virus. It can be deployed by ministers at 48 hours’ notice.

An update from the Government, published yesterday, warns that coronavirus is believed to be particularly dangerous for older people or those with weakened immune systems or long-term illnesses.

“If you have visited Wuhan and develop a fever, difficulty breathing or a cough within 14 days, you should seek medical attention either in China or on your return to the UK,” it said. “In the UK, please stay indoors and avoid contact with others where possible, call your GP or ring 111 informing them of your symptoms and your recent travel to the city.”

‘We need to plan for the possibility that containment of this epidemic isn’t possible’