A third person has been confirmed to have coronavirus in the UK

A third patient in the UK has tested positive for coronavirus, the Department of Health has said.

The patient is believed to have been diagnosed in Brighton and is currently being taken to an infectious diseases unit in London.

Health officials said the person did not acquire the virus in China but may have caught it elsewhere in Asia.

England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty 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.’

Two people who were confirmed to have coronavirus stayed at a hotel in York (Picture: PA)

The incident comes a week after a York University student and his mother became the first confirmed cases of the deadly virus in the UK.

They had been at the Staycity Aparthotel in the city when they were taken ill last Wednesday.

They were taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for treatment.

China is the epicentre of the respiratory disease, which emerged in December from a market selling exotic animals in the city of Wuhan.

It has now spread to at least 25 countries and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it a global health emergency.

Patients infected by the coronavirus rest at a makeshift hospital at Wuhan International Convention and Exhibition Center in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China (Picture: EPA)

Today, Chinese health authorities reported 563 deaths and another sharp jump in the number of confirmed cases to 28,018.

They have built two hospitals to deal with the growing number of cases but insist the situation is under control.

Outside mainland China, at least 260 cases have been confirmed, including two deaths in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

On Tuesday, the UK government advised some 30,000 British nationals living in China to leave immediately if possible.

Brits living in Wuhan were evacuated on flights and now more than 80 people are under quarantine at Arrow Park Hospital on the Wirral.

Some 78 Britons are among 3,700 people being quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan where 20 passengers have been confirmed to have coronavirus.

Earlier today, the Chinese ambassador to the UK warned against ‘rumours and panic’ over coronavirus.

Liu Xiaoming also called on the UK government to support China in its handling of the outbreak.

He said: ‘It is of hope that governments of all countries, including the UK, should understand and support China’s efforts, avoid overreaction, avoid creating panic, and ensure normal co-operation and exchanges between countries.’

An ambulance waits for patients who tested positive for the new coronavirus from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan (Picture: AFP)

The worst hit province of Hubei is under lockdown while the Chinese government has imposed restrictions on movements within China.

Many roads, railways and airports are now closed and there are strict controls over entry to villages and towns.

Australia and the USA has announced travel bans on anyone from China entering their countries over fears of spreading the coronavirus.



The number of deaths in China, excluding Hong Kong, now exceeds the 349 killed on the mainland during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2002-2003.

But the mortality rate of the new virus is about 2.1% – much lower than the Sars rate of 9.6% suggesting it is not as deadly.

The UK government has said it expects more cases and is working with other countries to develop a vaccine.

British officials are trying to trace more than 200 people who flew from the Chinese city of Wuhan to the UK before travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus came into force.