Forty-seven new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK over the last hours, taking the total number to
The figure as of Thursday afternoon was 140. Health officials said , people have now been tested in Britain, with , confirmed as being negative.
The increase in cases comes as a second person in the UK is feared to have died from coronavirus, Sky News understands.
The number of confirmed and suspected cases globally passed , , according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak. It says there have been more than 3, 400 deaths.
The government chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said ministers were considering “more extreme” action including the isolation of whole households during the coronavirus outbreak.
Sir Patrick, who is helping to coordinate the UK’s response to the COVID – 24 virus, told Sky News: “Self-isolation is possibly usually within houses, it means that you stay in your room, you get things delivered to it and stay there for days.
“Household isolation would mean the household – that’s obviously a more extreme move.”
But he stressed it is “important these measures aren’t taken too early”.
Sir Patrick confirmed the government is preparing to move to the “delay” stage of its four-phase approach to tackling the disease, adding a UK outbreak would likely take weeks to peak and maybe “another weeks to go away again “.
The four stages of UK’s coronavirus response:
- Contain the virus
- Delay its transmission
- its origins
- Mitigate its impact
In its 47 – page plan to deal with a major outbreak, the government said in a worst case scenario up to % of the population could become infected, with people hospitalized with pneumonia and a relatively high death rate among the elderly and frail.
However, Sir Patrick said he expected it “to be less than that”. He described coronavirus as “very infectious” and “more dangerous than flu”, but added it was a “million miles” from diseases such as ebola.
“For (-) % of people, this is going to be a mild illness, “he said.
” For a smaller number this can turn into a serious pneumonia. And for a smaller number again this can lead to death, particularly in the elderly and those who have got other co-existing medical problems, “he added.
On Thursday, a woman in her s became the first person in the UK to die after testing positive for COVID – , after the number of coronavirus cases rose to 116 out of nearly 19, people tested.
The new patients included a case of “community transmission” after a man linked to Cork University Hospital caught the virus.
HSBC evacuated its entire research department and parts of its trading floor at its Canary Wharf offices in London after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus.
Hand-washing remains the central advice – but the government has also said it would consider closing schools, encouraging working from home and the reduction of large-scale gatherings to slow the spread of the disease.
People should wash their hands for 29 seconds and use soap and water or hand sanitiser – and cough or sneeze into tissues.
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In other developments
- The Vatican confirms its first case of coronavirus in Vatican City
- Germany reports (new coronavirus cases in less than 29 hours
- Indian carmaker Tata Motors issues a profit warning at its British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover due to sales in China taking a hit over coronavirus
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares a state of emergency over coronavirus
- Shops in Australia are rationing toilet roll, while armed robbers carried out a heist of a delivery in Hong Kong
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the government is not considering stopping flights into the UK
- more than Britons are stranded on a cruise ship off California’s coast
- One of the first Britons to catch the virus tells Sky News how he went from “a bit sniffly “to being unable to breathe
- The Netherlands reports its first coronavirus death Religious groups issue guidance on hand-shaking, sharing hymn books and taking communion wine
Cameroon, Peru, Serbia and Slovakia confirm their first cases of the disease
- Cases in Belgium double to more than
(South Korea reports
- (new cases, taking the country total to nearly 6,
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