Coronavirus patient tests positive ‘in Brighton’

The third person to have been tested positive for coronavirus in the UK is said to have fallen ill in Brighton.
Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton SUS-200602-152637001Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton SUS-200602-152637001
Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton SUS-200602-152637001

The national newspapers are reporting the patient has been rushed to a specialist NHS centre after presenting with the symptoms in the city.

However, when contacted by this newspaper, a spokesperson for the Department for Health refused to confirm where the patient is from.

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Instead they released a statement from Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England.

He said, “A further patient has tested positive for coronavirus bringing the total number of cases in the UK to three. The individual did not acquire this in the UK.

“The patient is being transferred to a specialist NHS centre, and we are using robust infection control measures to prevent any possible further spread of the virus.

“The NHS is well prepared to manage these cases and we are now working quickly to identify any contacts the patient has had.”

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Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has been contacted for comment.

The facts

• As of Thursday (February 6), there have been a total of 28,273 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the globe, with the number of deaths now at 565.

• A huge 28,018 of the confirmed cases and 563 of the deaths are within mainland China.

• Outside China, there have been 260 confirmed cases in 26 countries, including two deaths.

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• The government says symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties

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.