Tests on 14 people in the UK have come back negative but there are checks ongoing on other people, according to the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty.

The number of cases has jumped to 830 and the death toll has risen to at least 26, with two fatalities now reported outside of Wuhan and 12 cases confirmed globally.

Professor Whitty spoke following the Government's Cobra contingencies committee, which met on Friday to discuss the outbreak of coronavirus.

In a statement he said: "I am working closely with the other UK chief medical officers. "We all agree that the risk to the UK public remains low, but there may well be cases in the UK at some stage.

"We have tried and tested measures in place to respond. The UK is well-prepared for these types of incidents, with excellent readiness against infectious diseases.

"We have global experts monitoring the situation around the clock and have a strong track record of managing new forms of infectious disease.

"The UK has access to some of the best infectious disease and public health experts in the world.

"A public health hub will be set up in Heathrow from today. This consists of clinicians and other public health officials, in addition to existing port health measures."

He added: "We think there's a fair chance we may get some cases over time.

"Of course this depends on whether this continues for a long time, or whether this turns out to be something which is brought under control relatively quickly."

He added: "I think we should definitely see this as a marathon, not a sprint we need to have our entire response based on that principle."

One of those cleared in the UK was Michael Hope, 45, who spent two days in quarantine this week after returning to Newcastle from Wuhan.

He arrived back on Sunday feeling unwell, having been ill since January 4, and after telling his GP in a telephone clinic about his recent return from Wuhan, he was rushed to the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary and put in isolation.

He said: "The care was exceptional.

"It was scary being there but they made me feel quite relaxed.

"They were very human even though they looked like spacemen."

Mr Hope said he felt like the film character ET while he was treated by the masked medics.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the risk to the UK public from the coronavirus "remains low" after chairing the Cobra meeting.

Exiting the Cabinet Office, Mr Hancock said: "We have just held a Cobra meeting on the coronavirus concerns.

"As I made clear to the House yesterday, the clinical advice is that the risk to the public remains low and the chief medical officer will be making a full statement later today."

But the medical director for Public Health England said on Friday morning that it was ‘highly likely’ the virus will come to Britain.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Paul Cosford said that it was now ‘highly likely’ that the infection would spread to Britain.

“There are no positive cases in the UK as yet, but we will go on testing and those numbers will of course change,” he said.

“I think it's highly likely that we will have cases in the UK, and of course every so often we do get new infections coming from the animal kingdom such as this one.

“We do have a whole range of plans ready to go when that is the case and, and these are being implemented now so our systems are ready to diagnose somebody if they do come to the UK and have this infection, and of course the NHS is prepared to treat people, if they have this infection.”

All the people tested in the UK had visited Wuhan - the Chinese city where the outbreak originated.

Four out five patients tested in Scotland were Chinese nationals.

Dr Cosford added that anyone returning from China who experienced symptoms should avoid ‘pitching up’ at hospitals or their GP, and instead contact NHS 111.

But he said that the majority of people would probably recover if they contracted the virus.

“Coronavirus is a very broad Church of viruses, from the common cold on one hand two sides on the other,” he added.

“The people who have died are large the older people with other illnesses that they've got. And as I say that the majority of people. It does look as if they’re making a full recovery.”

Sir Jeremy Farrar, of the Wellcome Trust, said: “I am alarmed, but there is a big difference between that and panic. If this does take off like in China the pressure on the NHS will be very difficult.”

Private schools may need to make plans for overseas pupils

Private schools may need to make plans for overseas pupils who are unable or unwilling to return home for upcoming holidays due to the coronavirus outbreak, it has been suggested.

While there is "no immediate cause for concern" the situation needs to be closely monitored, independent school groups have said.

Schools should "err on the side of caution" to minimise risks to staff and students, according to guidance issued by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA).

China sends more pupils to UK fee-paying schools than any other country.

Latest figures show that Chinese children made up around one in six of all international students at these schools.

In a statement, the GSA, which represents a group of fee-paying girls' schools, said it is "drawing schools' attention to the advice given by Public Health England concerning the corona virus and travel to China".