Coronavirus, the deadly virus that has kept the world on the edge in recent weeks has reached the United Kingdom after two people contracted the virus, British health officials confirmed Friday.
The victims, both members of the same family, are being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle as the UK government tracks others, who may have come into contact with the duo.
“We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus,” said Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer. “The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried-and-tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.”
The news comes amid the evacuation of about 150 British and EU citizens from China who are expected to arrive at 1 pm today (UK time). However, authorities believe the infected family must have picked up the deadly virus from a recent visit to China.
Local media reports that the UK Government is still trying to track down 600 people who travelled from Wuhan to the UK between January 10 and 24.
Of 1,466 total passengers, 162 have left the UK and 760 are now outside of the two-week danger zone, according to Daily Mail in the UK.
The Coronavirus outbreak, which began in Wuhan, China, has now spread to 18 other countries and infected about 9,000 people with over a hundred deaths reported. The United States and France are part of western countries that have reported an outbreak of the virus.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner or health, Lagos State, Akin Abayomi has said the state is collaborating with China to prevent any incidence of Coronavirus outbreak in Lagos as Chinese that travelled to their home country prepare to return to Nigeria.
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Abayomi who disclosed this on Wednesday said Lagos is prepared to prevent or contain any possible entry of the disease as well as other infectious diseases into the state.
