Coronavirus tests on 14 in UK all negative – chief medical officer
Written by News on 24/01/2020
Tests for the coronavirus on 14 people in the UK have come back negative, the chief medical officer has announced.
Professor Chris Whitty said the risk to the public is “low” and there were no confirmed cases yet but warned there is a “fair chance” Britain will see cases.
Speaking after the government’s emergency committee was convened to discuss the outbreak that has killed 26 people in China, he added the UK has “tried and tested measures in place to respond” if needed.
A new public health hub will be set up at Heathrow Airport later on Friday, Prof Whitty added.
Ministers from the Home Office, Foreign Office, and transport, education and communities departments were all summoned to the Cabinet Office for a briefing earlier. Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not attend.
10 cities have been locked down in Hubei province to prevent the virus spreading, with at least 33 million people affected.
Restrictions include the suspension of public transport services, while some cities have also shut public venues such as temples and cinemas.
China has announced plans to build a 1,000-bed hospital in six days to treat victims.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak an emergency but said it was “too early” to consider it a “public health emergency of international concern” given “its restrictive and binary nature”.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock cautioned yesterday that “there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country” but insisted “we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them”.
He chaired the meeting today – named COBRA after the room where they are traditionally held in, Cabinet Office Briefing Room A.
Universities are being contacted by the government about their preparedness and are being told to give information to students, the prime minister’s spokesman said.
Symptoms of the virus are said to be similar to a cold, and include fever, sneezing and coughing.
Anyone who is confirmed as having the virus will be transferred to an Airborne High Consequences Infectious Disease Centre, the letter added.
There are four interim Airborne HCID centres in England – two in London, one in Liverpool and one in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus tests on 14 in UK all negative – chief medical officer
