A&E staffer is among eight UK cases, along with doctor and Brighton businessman

A healthcare worker at Worthing hospital is among the eight confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

Staff at the West Sussex hospital received a memo on Tuesday telling them a member of staff working in the A&E department had been diagnosed with the disease.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said that all services at the hospital, including surgery and outpatients, are operating normally. The eight cases also include another healthcare worker, a locum doctor working in Brighton.

On Tuesday evening, the POA, formerly the Prison Officers’ Association, said it had been briefed that three people had been taken ill at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire with suspected coronavirus.

The association’s general secretary, Steve Gillan, said the wing on which the three were being held had been put on lockdown and that one man, who had previously been held in the Thai prison system, had been taken to a hospital offsite for tests. The other two were being held in isolation within the prison.

No test results have been returned, but Gillan expressed concern about the welfare of prison officers should cases of the virus be confirmed, saying they needed to be given proper protection.

The statement came after a businessman who inadvertently infected at least 11 people with coronavirus identified himself in a statement from hospital in which he said his thoughts were with others who had contracted the potentially fatal illness.

Steve Walsh, 53, who is in an isolation unit at St Thomas’ hospital in London, which has a specialist infectious disease centre, said he had fully recovered.

Walsh unknowingly contracted the disease at a sales conference in Singapore between 20 and 22 January and then went on a ski trip to the French Alps before returning home. Coronavirus has a two-week incubation period.

Q&A How can I protect myself and others from the coronavirus outbreak? Show Hide The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine. The UN agency advises people to: Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap

Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing

Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough

Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers

Advice about face masks varies. Wearing them while out and about may offer some protection against both spreading and catching the virus via coughs and sneezes, but it is not a cast-iron guarantee of protection Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns. Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area. 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.

He is believed to have transmitted the virus to several people in France. Public Health England (PHE) said on Monday that four people in Brighton linked to him had tested positive. As a result, the city has become the centre of the crisis in the UK, with five of the eight cases identified across the country there.

Walsh said: “I would like to thank the NHS for their help and care – whilst I have fully recovered, my thoughts are with others who have contracted coronavirus. As soon as I knew I had been exposed to a confirmed case of coronavirus I contacted my GP, NHS 111 and Public Health England.

“I was advised to attend an isolated room at hospital, despite showing no symptoms, and subsequently self-isolated at home as instructed. When the diagnosis was confirmed I was sent to an isolation unit in hospital, where I remain, and, as a precaution, my family was also asked to isolate themselves.”

He thanked friends, family and colleagues for their support and asked the media to respect their privacy.

Walsh spoke as the World Health Organization called for people not to face blame where the virus had transferred from them to others. Dr Michael Ryan, the executive director at WHO’s health emergencies programme, said it was “deeply, deeply unhelpful” to single out sufferers as culpable in some fashion.

He told a press conference on Tuesday: “I really wish we could refrain from personalising these issues down to individuals who spread disease.”

When asked about Walsh, Ryan said it was important to learn from individual cases, but that WHO’s overall risk assessment had not changed.

“This is by no means, compared to other events, a massive ‘super-spreading’ event. This is an unusual event and it is a wake-up call because there may be other circumstances in which this disease can spread like this, so we need to study those circumstances for sure but it doesn’t change our overall assessment.

“People are not at fault – they are never at fault in this situation, so let’s be extremely careful here, it’s really, really important that we don’t attach unnecessary stigma to this.”

Walsh is thought to be a so-called super-spreader – someone who transmits infections to far more people than the majority do. He was transferred to St Thomas’ hospital from Brighton on Thursday.

The company he works for, Servomex, said: “We are very pleased that Steve Walsh has made a full recovery. We continue to provide support to him and his family. We are working with public health authorities to ensure the welfare of our staff and communities and wish anyone with the virus a quick and full recovery.”

Walsh’s statement came as it emerged a second GP surgery in Brighton had shut after the outbreak of coronavirus in the city.

On Monday, the County Oak medical centre closed because of an “urgent operational health and safety reason”, after a member of staff contracted the virus.

On Tuesday morning, it emerged that a second branch of the same practice, less than two miles away, had also closed.

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.

A sign fixed to the door of the Deneway branch read: “The surgery is closed due to organisational health and safety reasons. Please contact 111 if you need to speak to a health professional.”

PHE said it was working to identify healthcare staff and patients who had been in contact with the two infected healthcare workers, as well as people who had close and sustained contact with other people confirmed to have the virus.

PHE has been contacting passengers who sat near Walsh during his journey home on 28 January, on flight EZS8481 from Geneva to Gatwick.

The Brighton Evening Argus reported on Tuesday that two nurses at a local hospital were being quarantined after treating a new patient suspected of contracting the coronavirus. The paper said the patient was understood to have recently arrived from Hong Kong.