Two members of the same family in UK, have been tested positive for Coronavirus. The news was confirmed by Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said. The Department of health has however declined to say where in England the patients are from. It is understood that they are not in Wirral area, where a special facility has been set up to quarantine those returning from Wuhan.
In a statement, Mr Whitty said: "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 NHS is extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread. ‘We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately. ‘We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities." It is reported that a number of people are expected to land in UK from Wuhan, the place where the virus is said to have originated.
The World Health Organisation has declared an international public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. This is only the sixth time such an emergency has been declared with past examples including the Ebola outbreak and the Zika virus. Meanwhile, 161 people in UK have been tested negative for the virus as of Thursday. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries."