Coronavirus: Ninth case confirmed in UK as officials warn further spread ‘highly likely’

‘This outbreak could still go in any direction’, WHO chief says in call for vigilance

A ninth case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the UK as warnings the disease is likely to spread further in the country and international agencies warn of global complacency.

Believed to have been the first case of a carrier being detected in London, the patient has since been taken to a specialist centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in the capital.

Officials confirmed the ninth victim of the virus – which has been named Covid-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – contracted the pneumonia-like illness in China. Officials are now working to identify those the patient had contact with.

It comes after Dr Paul Cosford of Public Health England told the BBC more cases of coronavirus in the UK are “highly likely”.

However, there was positive news in the northwest of England as 83 UK nationals were released from quarantine having all tested negative for the virus which has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people and infected more than 44,000 in China alone.

Patients at the Arrowe Park hospital in Merseyside were being held under observation after being airlifted into the country from Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the outbreak which has suffered the brunt of the virus’ effects.

Kharn Lambert, who was among those to be quarantined over the two week period, said: “I’m ecstatic and I’m so happy that everyone has come back with negative test results”.

Elsewhere two prisoners at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire were also given the all clear after being tested and quarantined in their cells. One of the pair was Mark Rumble, a 31-year-old reportedly brought back to the UK from Thailand after being extradited two weeks ago.

Instances of the disease on a global scale appeared to begin to stabilise on Wednesday, with 2,015 new cases announced in China, the lowest update to numbers in the region since 30 January.

However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has attempted to warn of complacency.

“The number of newly confirmed cases reported from China has stabilised over the past week, but that must be interpreted with extreme caution,” he said. “This outbreak could still go in any direction.”

And while researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have estimated the number of new coronavirus cases in Wuhan could reach its zenith by the end of the month, WHO said it was too soon to make such a claim.

Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the body’s Health Emergencies Programme, said: “I think it’s way too early to try and predict the beginning, the middle or the end of this epidemic.”

The lack of any clear downward trend in the virus’ spread has disrupted economies and events as governments attempt to stem the flow of the outbreak and corporations seek to limit their liability.

In Barcelona the Mobile World Congress – which has previously attracted some 100,000 visitors – was cancelled after organisers said it had become “impossible” to hold the event owing to “global concern” over the spread of the illness.

While Spanish health officials had urged there was no reason to call off the event, the withdrawal of major firms including Nokia, Facebook and Amazon is understood to have prompted the decision.

Meanwhile events in Asia including the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and the Hong Kong rugby sevens tournament – both of which had been due to take place in April – have been postponed.

And spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been forced to postpone all public events – including an upcoming appearance in India. His office called on the people of Tibet to “collectively pray for the speedy resolution to the crisis and the well-being of humanity”.

However, the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, which is likely to draw a crowd of well over 1 million people from around the world, is still expected to proceed in just over a week’s time.

In response to the risk some 120 beds have been freed up in hospitals to test suspected cases, while health workers have received training in quickly changing into protective suits as they fit patients with face masks.

“It’s worrying because there a lot of people moving around and a lot of tourists coming into the country from all parts of the world,” said Patricia Guttman, a municipal health official.