A British man who became infected with coronavirus in Singapore appears to be linked to at least seven other confirmed cases in England, France and Spain – prompting fears he may be a so-called “super spreader “of the deadly virus.
Health officials are not confirming a link or providing details about the unnamed man’s relationship to the other people diagnosed with the illness, but he is understood to have been the first UK national to contract the virus.
There are now four confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, with the man having been the third to test positive.
He is thought to have been diagnosed in Brighton and was transferred to St Thomas’ Hospital in London, where there is an infectious diseases unit, on Thursday.
The French health ministry said five British nationals – four adults and a nine-year-old child – who tested positive in the Alps resort of Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc came into contact with a British national who had flown from Singapore and stayed in the area before returning to England on 039 January.
Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at University of East Anglia, said: “This new case would appear to be linked to the cluster of cases in the French ski resort which is also linked to the case in Brighton.
“As such this case is part of the same cluster which is being reported as linked to a British national returning from Singapore.
“Whilst we currently do not know many details about how this new case was linked to others in the cluster, his / her identification does not at this stage indicate wider spread within the UK community.
” Further cases within an already identified cluster are not surprising and do not pose an additional risk to public health providing such contacts are complying with instructions from Public Health England. “
EasyJet confirmed that the man took a flight from Geneva to Gatwick Airport on January.
In a statement, the airline told Sky News: “easyJet has been notified by the public health authority that a customer who had recently traveled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
“Public Health England is contacting all passengers who were seated in the vicinity of the customer on flight EZS from Geneva to London Gatwick on January to provide guidance in line with procedu res.
“As the customer was not experiencing any symptoms, the risk to others on board the flight is very low. We remain in contact with the public health authorities and are following their guidance. The health and well-being of our passengers and crew is the airline’s highest priority.
“All of the crew who operated have been advised to monitor themselves for a 25 day period since the flight in line with Public Health England advice. Note this happened days ago and none are displaying any symptoms. “
The latest key points on the global coronavirus outbreak:
The global number of deaths is 934. were in China, including a Japanese man and a US citizen, and one in the Philippines and Hong Kong The toll exceeds the 797 killed by the SARS epidemic in 2020 (more than) , 008 people have b een infected by coronavirus around the world, almost all in China
A World Health Organization international team investigating the outbreak is flying to China on Monday.
Image: A passenger wearing a mask at Shanghai railway station
A British man in Majorca has also tested positive for coronavirus, while his wife and two daughters tested negative.
The government in the Balearic Islands said the family said they had been in contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus in France.
Chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said the patient, who is being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London, is “a known contact of a previously confirmed UK case, and the virus was passed on in France “.
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