Health worker at Hertfordshire cancer clinic is among 13 new coronavirus cases in UK

Fears for scores of cancer patients at the NHS hospital were sparked today after a clinician at a Hertfordshire hospital was revealed as one of the 13 latest coronavirus cases in the UK.

More than a half a dozen members of staff at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood have been forced to self-isolate and are awaiting to hear if they have caught the killer virus, MailOnline understands.

The number of people infected with the deadly virus jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday, marking the biggest rise in a single day after 12 new cases were recorded in England and Scotland announced its first patient.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the outbreak poses a ‘significant challenge’ and will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in Whitehall this morning to thrash out a ‘battle plan’ to tackle the virus.  

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has refused to rule out imposing Wuhan-style lockdowns on cities, banning large gatherings and shutting down public transport if the situation continues to get worse.  

This morning it emerged that one of the latest cases of the disease to be identified in England over the weekend was at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood – sparking fears for the safety of hundreds of vulnerable patients at the NHS hospital.

Elderly people and patients with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems are most at risk of suffering serious complications caused by the highly contagious virus. 

But today a spokesperson for the facility said all individuals who were in contact with the clinician ‘had been identified’ and ‘the appropriate measures taken’. They added: ‘The risk to patients and staff at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is very low and we are working with individual patients to appropriately manage their care.’ 

The Hertfordshire health care worker caught coronavirus overseas but there have so far been five cases contracted in Britain after a patient in Surrey created a family cluster, spreading the virus to a family member in the county as well as another person in West Sussex. 

It comes as a secondary school in London became the third school in as many days to close its doors for deep cleaning after a teacher was diagnosed with the virus. In a letter to parents, Wimbledon College said it would remain shut until March 10 after one of its staff members was revealed as being among the 13 new cases on Sunday.

One of the 13 new cases on Sunday was a patient from Harlow, Essex, who caught the disease despite having no link to an affected area abroad. Officials admitted they were clueless as to where the patient contracted the virus amid mounting fears the infection is spreading rampantly throughout the UK. 

The total has almost tripled in four days with the virus now reaching all corners of the British Isles. The five cases contracted within the UK may mean that it is already be too late to head off an epidemic. Public Health England warned this morning the UK can expect widespread infection ‘in the next few days’.

As Boris Johnson admitted the virus – which has infected almost 90,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000 – was a ‘significant challenge’:

• Donald Trump revealed plans to screen everyone from high-risk coronavirus countries both prior to leaving the country and when arriving in the US – after America recorded its second death
• Prince Harry’s Invictus Games – a charity event for wounded armed services personnel – may be called off due to the outbreak 
• Three schools in England have been shut after three teachers were among the patients to be diagnosed with coronavirus over the weekend
• Public Health England warned this morning the UK can expect widespread infection ‘in the next few days’
• The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran – says his wife is showing ‘all the symptoms’ of the illness but is yet to be tested
• The Society for Acute Medicine said a major outbreak would put the NHS under ‘immense stress’ with operations cancelled 
• Over-60s were told to avoid crowded areas to protect themselves from catching virus, according to The World Health Organisation
• The Louvre in Paris closed its doors and the French health minister advised against kissed greetings 

Wimbledon College has announced it will close until March 10 and undergo a deep clean after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday following travel to Italy.

The letter said it had been contacted about the case by Public Health England (PHE). The member of staff was last in school on February 25 and ‘has not had contact with pupils since the beginning of this half term,’ the letter said.

‘However, as some staff members are now classed as close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19 they are required to self-isolate as a precautionary measure for 14 days,’ the letter said.

It said the school must close due to low staff numbers and hopes to reopen on March 10.

PHE’s emeritus medical director warned this morning the UK can expect to see widespread infection of coronavirus ‘fairly soon’, 

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Paul Cosford said: ‘The extent of infection we are seeing in other countries suggests it is likely that we will see more widespread infection in the UK and that is what we have to be prepared for.

‘We should expect at times that might be quite challenging for us, it is therefore very important that we do everything we can to reduce the spread of infection.

‘At the moment, the vast majority of cases we see in the UK are still linked to countries where there is more widespread infection, either in Italy or south east Asia.

‘It is true to say there is a small number now where it is much more difficult to find that link, and that is leading us to think we may well see more widespread infection in the UK fairly soon.

‘It could happen in the next few days or it could take a little longer.’

Prince Harry’s Invictus Games – a charity event for wounded armed services personnel – may be called off due to the outbreak, which is teetering on the edge of becoming a global pandemic.

The games sees thousands of fans fly in from over 20 countries and is due to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, which recorded its first case on Thursday.

While coronavirus can be fatal – and roughly one in seven victims suffer very serious symptoms – for many the impact can be mild. This means victims could brush aside their symptoms, assuming it is a common cold.

Ministers had hoped they could contain the virus by tracking and isolating cases as soon as the victims returned from high-risk areas. But with 67 countries affected, this is becoming impossible.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted it was inevitable that coronavirus would become endemic – the medical term for a virus becoming permanently resident in a country. He insisted the Government was still trying to do all it could to contain and isolate the virus.

If that fails the next stage will be to try to delay its peak until the summer months, when pressure on the NHS should be lower.

Professor Jonathan Ball of the University of Nottingham said spread of the virus ‘marked a new chapter for the UK’.

He added: ‘This is a virus that frequently causes symptoms very similar to mild flu or a common cold, and it’s easily transmitted from person to person. This means it can easily go under the radar.

‘It has a high likelihood of becoming one of the many respiratory viruses that circulate around the globe, peaking in winter months infecting those who are susceptible.’

Mr Hancock refused to rule out the scenario of entire cities being locked down – as has been done in China – although he stressed he wanted to avoid this in order to minimise disruption. 

Announcing a ‘war room battle plan’, he said ‘population-distancing measures’ may become necessary – such as banning public gatherings, cancelling football matches and closing schools.

Mr Hancock said everyone had a duty to help stop the spread of coronavirus by regularly washing their hands.

Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, said we needed to ‘relearn’ personal hygiene practices. ‘Most of us are on autopilot when we cough and sneeze,’ he said.

‘We need to relearn good practice of carrying tissues and remember to cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of that promptly in a bin, and then immediately wash and dry hands.’

Dr Pankhania said the transmission of the virus within Britain was significant but that the cases so far have remained ‘sporadic and isolated’.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said: ‘Although it may still be possible to prevent a community wide epidemic this is looking increasingly unlikely and we should be prepared to cope with a more widespread epidemic on our shores.

‘If the disease does become endemic – and I think it is quite possible – then we would see new cases perhaps appearing each winter for the foreseeable future.’

On Friday the first victim of a UK-to-UK transmission was identified in the commuter town of Haslemere, Surrey.

Officials have been unable to find out how he contracted the virus, but in tracking his contacts they identified three other adults – one in Surrey and two in West Sussex – who had become infected. 

In a completely separate case, a patient who had been infected within Britain was identified yesterday in Essex.

Officials are trying to understand how the two different groups of cases started.

In another case, a school worker tested positive at St Mary’s Primary in Tetley, Gloucestershire, after returning from northern Italy.

Another victim was identified as an employee of Willow Bank Infant School near Reading. Further cases were reported in London, Hertfordshire, Leeds, Bradford and Bury.

The Prime Minister said: ‘The number of coronavirus cases around the world is rising every day – and the UK is no exception.

‘There now seems little doubt that it will present a significant challenge for our country. But we are well prepared, and the Government and the NHS will stop at nothing to fight this virus. Our battle plan lays out in detail the measures we could use – if and when they are needed.’

Emergency powers set to be unveiled this week to help combat the virus include suspending rules about the maximum numbers of children that a single teacher can be responsible for. 

The temporary measures will also allow for emergency medical registrations to create a ‘Dad’s Army’ of retired doctors to back up an already under-strain NHS.

Dr Susan Crossland, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said a major outbreak would bring ‘immense stress’ to the NHS. ‘While the emergency planning measures put in place specifically for coronavirus have been good, the wider picture is one of grave concern,’ she said.

‘One of the huge problems we will see in the event of a widespread outbreak is a complete squeeze on elective surgery that will have huge implications for already dire patient waiting times and this directly relates to the under-funding of previous years.’

A Tayside resident who returned from Italy has become the first person in Scotland to be diagnosed with coronavirus, the Scottish Government said yesterday. The victim, who has not been named, has been admitted to hospital and is receiving treatment in isolation.

Scottish health officials are to begin testing some people with flu-like symptoms even if they have not visited affected areas. 

In the wake of the first diagnosis in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘Our first thoughts must be with the patient diagnosed with coronavirus, I wish them a speedy recovery.

‘Scotland is well-prepared for a significant outbreak of coronavirus but there is currently no treatment or vaccine.’ Ms Sturgeon will attend the COBRA meeting in London tomorrow, chaired by the Prime Minister. 

Covid-19 seems to spread much like flu, through coughs and sneezes. Once contracted, it lives and replicates in the tissues that line the airways. 

Secretions from these tissues – mucus and saliva – therefore also contain the virus. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or simply talks, tiny droplets of moisture are expelled into the air, carrying the virus out of the body. Unless you are directly in the firing line, you should be safe. Droplets travel only up to 7ft.

But another risk comes when people cover their cough or sneeze with their hand and then touch something other people touch, such as a door knob or tap. Touch a contaminated surface, then touch your own mouth or nose, and the virus can be transmitted.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days. Günter Kampf of the University of Greifswald in Germany says such viruses can be killed by disinfectants such as alcohol or bleach – but many things we touch every day on transport or in public buildings are not frequently disinfected.

If 14 per cent of those infected develop a severe disease and five per cent of them are critically ill, it could be a ‘massive threat’ according to Dr Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London.

According to Alistair Miles, head of epidemiological informatics, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, people need to stop touching their faces to limit the spread.

He told The Times: ‘Stop touching your face. Especially stop touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your hands often, especially before eating or touching food.

‘While a mask seems like a good idea, there isn’t a lot of good evidence that it can reliably prevent infection when worn by the public. But they are useful to put on a sick person to reduce their spreading of the virus.’

He said: ‘It looks unlikely this will be over quickly. It may be with us into next year and might eventually become a seasonal infection, returning each winter.’

Boris Johnson will hold Cobra meeting today to finalise UK’s coronavirus ‘battle plan’ – after complaints he needed to ‘get a grip’ on the crisis

By Claire Ellicott and Jason Groves for the Daily Mail

Boris Johnson will take charge of the Government response to the coronavirus outbreak today after being stung by claims he was acting like a ‘part-time Prime Minister’.

He will lead a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee Cobra this morning for the first time as he seeks to reassure the country he has got a grip on the crisis.

The senior ministers and officials will sign off a battle plan to contain and defeat the virus, which will be published tomorrow. 

A war room will now be set up in the Cabinet Office which will include NHS and communications chiefs to coordinate a response.

It came as the number of confirmed cases rose by 50 per cent to 36 yesterday.

Mr Johnson acknowledged the figure would continue to increase in the coming days, despite frantic efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

He said there ‘now seems little doubt that it will present a significant challenge’ to the UK in the coming days and weeks.

Criticism mounted last week over his decision to delegate management of the crisis to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. 

Even ex-Tory chancellor George Osborne said the Government had to ‘get a grip’.

Yesterday the Prime Minister broke cover, donning a yellow biohazard suit to visit Public Health England’s laboratory in Colindale, north-west London. 

It is one of a number of labs where tests for the virus are carried out. 

He then went to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead to meet staff who are treating patients with the illness.

Speaking ahead of today’s emergency meeting, Mr Johnson said: ‘The number of coronavirus cases around the world is rising every day – and the UK is no exception.

‘There now seems little doubt that it will present a significant challenge for our country.

‘But we are well prepared, and the Government and the NHS will stop at nothing to fight this virus. This battle plan lays out in detail the measures we could use – if and when they are needed.’

Tomorrow’s proposals will set out how the Government will respond if and when the coronavirus reaches epidemic proportions.

Mr Johnson yesterday said he wanted to see schools stay open for as long as possible, and emergency laws will be published this week to allow class sizes to increase if teachers are off sick.

But tomorrow’s blueprint is likely to include provisions for school closures if the situation worsens.

Mass gatherings, such as at sports events and concerts, could also be banned temporarily and Mr Hancock said draconian measures, such as sealing off whole cities, had not been ruled out.

Privately, officials say that ministers could have to address ‘very difficult’ issues.

These could include deciding whether to allow the virus to take its course quickly or try to delay its spread. The first option would likely result in a higher peak in the number of cases, but would allow the economic and social disruption to pass more quickly.

Downing Street has insisted that Mr Johnson has remained in overall charge of the response since the virus first emerged in January. No 10 said there had been weekly Cobra meetings.

Although none was attended by the Prime Minister, he is said to have been updated regularly. Mr Johnson held a high-level meeting of ministers and officials on Friday night.

Sources said the Prime Minister had visited NHS staff who may soon be on the frontline.

He visited Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire last week to see its new coronavirus ‘pod’ where people can come to be checked.

Meanwhile, health chiefs in the Canary Islands have said British tourists trapped in a Tenerife hotel hit by coronavirus can leave as long as they are well and the Government can guarantee continuing care.

Hopes of an early end to their holiday hell were first raised last week when talks began with embassies and consulates about a possible repatriation. 

But the Foreign Office poured cold water on the idea by insisting there were no plans to bring trapped tourists back from the H10 Costa Adeje Palace.

That left more than 100 Britons facing an end date on their lockdown of March 9.