A third person in the UK who has tested positive for coronavirus is being treated in a London hospital.

It has been reported that the third patient is a middle-aged British man who contracted the virus in Singapore - although the Department of Health has not confirmed this.

The patient is thought to have been diagnosed in Brighton and was transferred to St Thomas' Hospital in London, where there is an infectious disease unit, on Thursday afternoon.

It comes as Chinese state media confirmed the death of a 34-year-old doctor who had tried to warn others about the outbreak in December.

Earlier, it stated Li Wenliang, an opthalmologist working in Wuhan, had died but then corrected the report, before eventually confirming the death.


Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said of the new case in Britain: "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.

Coronavirus: What you need to know

"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."

Travellers who have arrived in the UK in the past fortnight from countries including Thailand and Singapore are being advised to self-isolate if they begin feeling unwell.

The government has released new advice for travellers from a list of Asian countries and territories also including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Macau, as well as mainland China.

Anyone arriving from these locations should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if they develop symptoms such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath, the advice warns.

The first two cases in the UK of novel coronavirus, which originates from Wuhan, central China, were confirmed on 31 January.

Image: The StayCity apartment-hotel in York was put on lockdown after two people who stayed there were confirmed to have coronavirus. Credit: Ben Lack

Both people were staying at a hotel in York when they fell ill and one of them is a student at the University of York, while the other is related to them.

They are being treated at a specialist hospital unit in Newcastle.

A separate person was tested for coronavirus in York on Thursday but does not have the disease, York Council's director of public health said.

In Germany, another case was also confirmed on Thursday, bringing the country's total to 13.

All cases, including two children, have centred on auto parts supplier Webasto, whose headquarters outside Munich were visited by a Chinese trainer.

The latest case is the wife of an employee who was previously diagnosed.

The death toll from mainland China stands at 636 - mostly in Hubei province, state television has said - with 31,161 infections inside the world's second largest economy.

Hong Kong has had 22 cases, including one death, while the Chinese autonomous region of Macau has had 10 cases.

Japan has had the most cases outside China, with 86, while Singapore, Thailand and South Korea follow behind with 30, 25 and 23 respectively.

Outside mainland China, at least 260 cases have been confirmed, with Europe's total rising to 30 on Thursday with the UK and Germany cases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which declared a global public health emergency on 30 January, said on Thursday it was too soon to say the outbreak was peaking, however Wednesday was the first day the overall number of cases in China dropped since it started in early January.