Passenger, one of 11 who landed in UK on Sunday, has been taken to hospital for tests

A British passenger who was evacuated to the UK from Wuhan on Sunday was taken ill on the plane and escorted directly to hospital on landing.

The passenger started to feel “slightly unwell” during the second flight to evacuate Britons from the Chinese city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, according to UK health officials. The person, who was wearing a face mask, “self-isolated immediately” and on landing at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire was taken to hospital for tests while the other 10 passengers went on to staff quarters at Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, where 83 others from the first flight back to the UK are also being quarantined.

It is understood that Public Health England conducted a risk assessment before the plane door was opened. No ground personnel came into contact with the passenger apart from ambulance crew in full protective kit.

Quick guide What are coronavirus symptoms and should I go to a doctor? Show Hide What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. What are the symptoms this coronavirus causes? According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may also have a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion and aches and pains or diarrhoea. Some people report losing their sense of taste and/or smell. About 80% of people who get Covid-19 experience a mild case – about as serious as a regular cold – and recover without needing any special treatment. About one in six people, the WHO says, become seriously ill. The elderly and people with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, or chronic respiratory conditions, are at a greater risk of serious illness from Covid-19. In the UK, the National health Service (NHS) has identified the specific symptoms to look for as experiencing either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work, and there is currently no vaccine. Recovery depends on the strength of the immune system. Should I go to the doctor if I have a cough? Medical advice varies around the world - with many countries imposing travel bans and lockdowns to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In many place people are being told to stay at home rather than visit a doctor of hospital in person. Check with your local authorities. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

The other 10 passengers have not shown any symptoms but have been quarantined in a separate area of the facility from the first group, according to an email from Janelle Holmes, the chief executive of the Wirral University teaching hospital NHS foundation trust.

A note describing the development was circulated to patients by staff from Public Health England on Monday. First reported by the Liverpool Echo and seen by the Guardian, it said: “During the flight, one of the passengers started to feel slightly unwell, and self-isolated immediately. Upon landing, that passenger remains isolated, and was taken to another NHS hospital for tests. We expect test results in the coming days and will keep you updated.

“None of the other new arrivals have shown any symptoms, but as a precautionary measure they were allocated rooms in a separate area of the facility, isolated from those already here.”

An English teacher who has been in quarantine at Arrowe Park hospital since Friday told the Guardian he was not worried, but hoped that whoever had fallen ill recovered quickly.

“It doesn’t really bother me because I trust [health professionals] to have done what they say they did, which is [to have] dealt with it as best they could and isolated everyone else,” said the 32-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous.

If the person had fallen ill after arriving at the facility, anyone who had come into contact with them would have their quarantine time “reset” to 14 days.

“Because they’ve isolated them, there’s no chance of that happening.”

All those who have returned from Hubei province in China are being quarantined in staff accommodation blocks at Arrowe Park.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that the passenger had developed “mild, cold-like symptoms”, adding: “Our robust processes continue to ensure there is no risk to the wider public from those in quarantine or those undergoing further treatment.”

Separately, UK officials said there were no plans to introduce a US-style travel ban on foreign nationals who had recently been in China entering the country. Sources told PA Media that the UK would continue to follow the advice of the World Health Organization, which does not advocate such bans.

The Chinese government has accused the US of causing “panic” in its response instead of helping.

More than 17,000 people in China have been confirmed to have the virus and 361 have died there. In other countries there are more than 150 confirmed cases and one person has died in the Philippines.

The UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, is due to update MPs later on Monday when he makes a statement to the Commons.

Meanwhile, a University of York student and one of their relatives are continuing to be treated for coronavirus in a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Earlier on Monday, Hancock announced £20m of UK government funding for the development of a coronavirus vaccine.