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Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty said the latest patient, who is being treated in London, was a known contact of a previously confirmed UK case and had been infected in France.
“Experts at Public Health England continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases. They successfully identified this individual and ensured the appropriate support was provided,” said Prof Whitty.
“The patient has been transferred to a specialist NHS centre at The Royal Free Hospital, and we are using robust infection control measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.
“The NHS is extremely well prepared to manage these cases and treat them, and we are working quickly to identify any further contacts the patient has had. This patient followed NHS advice by self-isolating rather than going to A&E.
Health chiefs are advising anyone who has travelled to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath, to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.
These areas have been identified because of the volume of air travel from affected areas, understanding of other travel routes and number of reported cases. This list will be kept under review.
As of 9am today, Sunday, February 9, a total of 795 people have been tested, of whom 791 were confirmed negative and four positive.
We have been working in close collaboration with international colleagues and the World Health Organization to monitor the situation in China and around the world.
As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.
Novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China.
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