Britain says citizen infected with coronavirus outside China

[webfact]

Britain says citizen infected with coronavirus outside China

By Elizabeth Howcroft

 

People wearing face masks are pictured on Parliament Square, on Brexit day, in London, Britain January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday a British national was confirmed to have contracted coronavirus after travelling to an Asian country other than China and told doctors to be vigilant to those showing symptoms from a wider range of countries.

 

Confirming the third person in Britain had tested positive, British medical authorities said the unidentified person had contracted the virus outside China.

 

"They acquired it in Asia but not in China," England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said.

 

"Because of that, it is probably now prudent to slightly widen the geographical area where doctors in the UK and NHS know they should test people if they come with the right symptoms."

 

He did not name the country from where the patient had returned. He said a wider list of countries would be released shortly from which people who developed symptoms should self-isolate if they showed any of the coronavirus symptoms.

 

The third coronavirus patient in Britain has been transferred to a specialist health service centre. The first two people in Britain to be diagnosed with the virus are being treated at a hospital in Newcastle, northeast England, Britain's health ministry said last week.

 

Coronavirus spread among passengers of a quarantined Japanese cruise liner on Thursday and dragged down production at more global businesses, as scientists across the world searched for a vaccine.

 

The death toll from the virus in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563, with more than 28,000 confirmed infections inside the workshop of the world and its second-largest economy.

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-07

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[bluesofa]

According to The Guardian newspaper (UK) two hours ago, the British national travelled back from Singapore.

 

source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/feb/06/coronavirus-live-updates-in-china-wuhan-coronaviruses-outbreak-death-toll-latest-update-news

 

[nobodysfriend]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The death toll from the virus in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563, with more than 28,000 confirmed infections inside the workshop of the world and its second-largest economy.

It is not very deadly ( 2% ) , but it spreads very easily ... and no remedy in sight yet ...

I hope that it will not mutate to a more deadly form . ( Mutations in viruses happen often )

The chinese are really good in exporting their stuff ( even viruses ) to the world

[Pedrogaz]

51 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

It is not very deadly ( 2% ) , but it spreads very easily ... and no remedy in sight yet ...

I hope that it will not mutate to a more deadly form . ( Mutations in viruses happen often )

The chinese are really good in exporting their stuff ( even viruses ) to the world

Before you say 'not very deadly', you need to know how many of those 28000 confirmed infection die...ie the outcome. Data released a few days ago said that there were 600 or so people with confirmed infections that got better and 300 or so that died. The other 20,000 infections at the time were work in progress and unless they all get better, then there is little room for saying it is not very deadly. In times like these it pays to be prudent, not blasé.

[placnx]

6 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Before you say 'not very deadly', you need to know how many of those 28000 confirmed infection die...ie the outcome. Data released a few days ago said that there were 600 or so people with confirmed infections that got better and 300 or so that died. The other 20,000 infections at the time were work in progress and unless they all get better, then there is little room for saying it is not very deadly. In times like these it pays to be prudent, not blasé.

There is a distinction between Wuhan/Hebei and other Chinese locations, over 4% vs 2%. In countries such as Burma where they have to send samples to Bangkok, the 4% or more would apply due to inadequate healthcare. Since this virus, call it WERS, is getting out to Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, numerous fatalities can be expected.

 

It will be very enlightening when migrant workers are allowed to return from their villages after the extended CNY holiday. These villages will have become incubators to pass the epidemic on to factories all over the map, even possibly outside China due to the Belt & Road construction projects in Asia & Africa.